One very good bowling team will be staying home from districts after Sunday’s  Division I Lorain County sectional tournament at North Ridgeville’s Brunswick Zone. Only three girls teams from the field of 10 advance to the district tournament on
Feb. 24 at Willoughby’s Freeway Lanes.
One pin was the difference between Keystone (3,190) and defending tournament champ North Ridgeville (3,189) at last Sunday’s second annual North Shore Bowling Conference Tournament at Rebman Rec.
Twenty-six pins separated the top four girls teams at the tournament. Admiral King (3,178) and Vermilion (3,164) rounded out the top four.
One of those four teams won’t make it out of sectionals.
Last year, four girls teams qualified to districts from the Lorain County sectional at Rebman Rec — North Ridgeville (3,321), Southview (3,226), Vermilion (3,029) and Admiral King (2,974). Keystone (2,810) was a distant fifth.
Sunday’s sectional competition gets under way at 9:30 a.m. Admission is $6. Age 5 and under are free.
“Somebody’s going to be left home,” said Keystone coach Kevin Minnich. “It’s going to be very close.”
Keystone lost junior Jessica Naccarato around Christmas because of a knee injury suffered in a car accident. Junior Ashley Branham suffered a  torn tendon in her right hand on Jan. 23. She returned to the lineup just in time for the NSBC Tournament.
“We’ve had three girls sharing time in the No. 5 spot — Rachel Salyer, Jamie Johnson and Amanda Keathley,” said Minnich. “One of the big keys has been the play of Heather Shepard (147 average). She’s a first-year bowler who has done extremely well. She’s learning to hook the ball and cover the spares.”
Ten teams will make up the  girls field. In addition to the teams  previously mentioned are Brunswick, Cuyahoga Heights, Firelands, Elyria Catholic and Wellington. Besides the three qualifying teams, three individuals from nonqualifying teams will  advance to districts.
The Vermilion boys team dominated the regular season, winning the NSBC title in a roll-off with North Ridgeville. The Rangers came back last Sunday, scoring 3,948 pins to rule the NSBC Tournament. Keystone (3,741), Vermilion (3,738), Firelands (3,645), Amherst (3,591) and Admiral King, (3,586) rounded out the top part of the field.
“We’re definitely feeling a lot more confident now,” said North Ridgeville sophomore Joe Sas. “We just need to focus on what we do best.”
Those same teams vie for five district berths on Sunday. The qualifiers from the boys field compete Feb. 23 at Freeway Lanes.
“Vermilion beat us in the roll-off by 103 pins, so it’s been a very exciting season,” said North Ridgeville boys coach Frank Kotas. “Keystone picked up their share, too. They were right in there with the mix. Usually, it’s us and Vermilion primarily, but there were some good teams that showed up this season.”
Last year, Vermilion (4,121) ruled the sectional by 27 pins over North Ridgeville (4,094). Keystone (3,752) and Admiral King (3,740) grabbed the next two spots. Brunswick (3,706) edged Amherst (3,699) for the fifth qualifying spot.
Thirteen teams are in the boys field. Other teams competing are Black River, Cuyahoga Heights, Elyria Catholic, Open Door and Wellington. Five individuals from non-qualifying teams advance to districts.

King rules NSBC JV

Admiral King (2,535) boys dominated the NSBC Junior Varsity Tournament on Feb. 2 at Brunswick Zone. Keystone (2,345) was second followed by North Ridgeville (2,221), Vermilion (2,215), Southview (2,077), Firelands (1,910), Amherst (1,899) Open Door (1,853) and Black River (1,724).
Justin Smith (421) and Dimitri Harris (369) had high series to lead the Admirals — Smith’s series being the tournament high. Mike Tonkin (394) and Jim Fye (332) led Keystone. Vermilion’s Blake Eckley (382) and North Ridgeville’s Brandon Becka (349) led their respective teams.
Admiral King (1,795) also dominated girls action. Vermilion (1,731) was second followed by Wellington (1,650), North Ridgeville (1,644), Southview (1,631), Keystone (1,581) and Firelands (1,546)
Kristen Dimacchia (279) and Denise Tomazic (255) led the Admirals. Emily Rice (283) and Janna Schindler (250) paced the Sailors. North Ridgeville’s Leiah Malinkey (299) had the tournament’s top series. Stacy Bohr (249) also bowled well for the Rangers.

Scratch knockdown

Lutheran West, North Olmsted and Olmsted Falls were all 5-2 winners in Saturday’s scratch knockdown matches for the Greater Cleveland Interscolastic Bowling League at Freeway Lanes.
Lutheran West (119-21) defeated Benedictine (88-52); North Olmsted (88-52) topped Westlake (88-52); and Olmsted Falls (75-65) beat Normandy
(84-56).
Lutheran West’s Travis Podvorac had the league’s top series with a 750. Westlake’s Chris Stewart led the way in 600 series with a 697. Westlake’s Mike Canestraro was No. 2 in the 550 category (596) behind St. Edward’s Greg Arcangelini (598).
The GCIBL’s handicap championship matches are today at Buckeye Lanes. Lutheran West faces Cleveland Central Catholic; North Olmsted meets Brecksville; Olmsted Falls goes against Chanel; and Westlake tackles Garfield Heights.
Contact Paul Heyse at 329-7135. 

PLAYERS OF THE WEEK

Ashley Branham, Keystone

YEAR: Junior
LAST WEEK: Bowled a high game of 211 and high series of 552 at the North Shore Conference Bowling Tournament, leading Keystone to a dramatic one-pin victory over North Ridgeville. Branham bounced back from a torn tendon in her right hand to lead the Wildcats to the win.
BIO: The Keystone team captain had a game average of 173 this season, fourth best in the NSBC. Branham’s career-high game is 278. She was the C-T Bowler of the Year in 2004 for her age group. Branham has won several bowling scholarships and has qualified for multiple Pepsi Cola Tournaments. She’s been involved in 4-H for eight years and has served as a club officer. Branham is a member of the Lorain County Junior Fair board. She sings in the school choir, enjoys going to the movies, shopping and hanging out with her friends. Her great-great grandfather, George E. Smith, is in Elyria’s Bowling Hall of Fame.
PARENTS: Timothy and Amy Smith

Joe Sas, North Ridgeville

YEAR: Sophomore
LAST WEEK: Bowled the top game (266) at Sunday’s North Shore Bowling Conference Tournament. His 651 series was the tournament’s fourth- best mark of the day as he led the Rangers to the tournament title.
BIO: Sas bowled a 300 game on Nov. 25, 2006, at the Brunswick Zone. His career-best mark for a three-game series is 748. Sas also enjoys dirt bike riding. He has a 3.0 gpa.
PARENTS: Jim and Lana Sas

---

Print this story
Report an inappropriate comment

---

In order to comment, you must agree to our user agreement and discussion guidelines.

Need help? Email Us.

---