At least three members of the McCourry Pro team admit they don’t scoreboard watch.
As for captain Marcus Marcelli, who was not there to defend himself when SOB talked to his teammates following the John Klonowski Memorial Scratch Singles, that’s another story.
“We have one person who scoreboard watches,” team anchor Brian Ball said, “and that’s Marcus Marcelli. I only look up during the 10th frame to see if I need anything for us to win.”
No one could blame the team of Marcelli, Ball, Alex McCourry and Brett McCourry if they were sneaking a peak during the Mustang Leasing league at Eastbury Bowling Center.
With Ball and Alex McCourry each shooting 800 series — both also adding 300 games — the four-man team shot a 3,113 scratch three-game series.
Alex has been on quite a run the past three weeks, with four 800 series at three centers (also at Park Centre and Wayne Lanes in the Northeast Ohio Travel League) and five 300 games. Two of those came in the same 828 series at Wayne Lanes.
Ball has five 800 series this season, including ones thrown at Triway Lanes, but this was his first 800 of the season.
Alexy, who now has 19 career 800s and 41 300 games, had games of 300, 249 and 279 tor 827, 20 pins short of his career high. Ball had 300 in Game 3 after starting with 270 and 246 for 816.
Ball still holds Stark County’s second all-time high series of 880 (he left just one 10-pin all night) during the Stark County USBC Open tournament at Strike Zone. The high of 890 belongs to Ray Cook during a College Bowl Tournaments event at Park Centre.
As for the other two teammates, Marcelli contributed 739 with a high of 258. Brett McCourry, who shot 300 during the Klonowski and finished fifth, had 731 with a high also of 258.
Want proof of not scoreboard watching?
“The entire third game, Brett thought we were 50 pins behind, but he was looking at the wrong score,” said Alex, a 26-year-old Canton left-hander who works for Ace Mitchell Bowlers Mart.
Team-wise, the quartet had 1,064 in Game 1, followed by 989 and 1,060. The reaction when they saw the final tally?
“Holy shit, we shot 1,130,” said Ball, a 48-year-old Massillon right-hander who works for Five Star Gate Operators and Fence, “and the hero (Brett) was low. We averaged 780 a man … that’s pretty high.”
“It’s not often that you see two 800s shot on the same night let alone on the same team,” Alex added.
Brett McCourry, Ball and Marcelli have been on the same team for several seasons.
“Our fourth spot seems to be cursed,” Brett said. “But we still manage to score, but not like that.”
In past years with Jon Boyajian and Allan Jerge in the fourth spot, the team has shot a pair of 4,000 series when the league was a four-game league. Alex is in his first year bowling with the team.
“I joined up with them when I moved back from Las Vegas in 2015,” said Brett, a 29-year-old Perry Township right-hander who operates McCarry Property and Lawn Care. “Marcus is the team captain and statistician.”
Brett admitted he was on basically no sleep after snow plowing for 48 straight hours.
“After starting with an open in Game 1, I wasn’t feeling that good,” Brett added.
After his 300 in Game 1, Alex had a six-bagger in Game 2 and left a pair of 7-pins. In Game 3, he had the first eight strikes before crossing over and leaving a 4-7 spare.
“I was yelling carry,” Alex joked before striking out, “it was just so awful.”
Ball started out strike, spare, strike, spare before striking off the sheet in Game 1. In Game 2, he had the first three strikes before missing a 10-pin spare.
“I missed it my 6 feet roughly … if it was even that close,” said Ball, who estimates he’s had about 100 800 series and 150 300 games before the 300 in Game 3. “In the 10th, I left a 7-pin … I just threw the ball badly.”
Ball, who says he has been throwing balls with “three-year-old technology,” had to move right during the course of the night as did Alex, with the latter also taking speed off his ball.
“The shot was getting tighter as we went along,” said Alex, who has enjoyed great success with his Brunswick Eruption. Ball has used a combination of Storm’s Axiom Pearl, Soniq and Pro Motion.
Ball admitted he had not been bowling well at Eastbury.
“I went back to my old stuff because my new stuff just hooks too much,” Ball added.
But that night, everything clicked for the team.
“We absolutely feed off each other,” Brett said. “These are some guys who can throw a lot of strikes.”
Two other things they will remember?
“Brett was low,” Ball said, “and it’s not often that you shoot 300 and 800 and not make any money.”