PERRY TWP. — Converting spares was a problem for J.D. Jones all night.
“It was a little bit frustrating. I was trying to make good shots,” the 27-year-old Massillon right-hander said. “But I had a struggle with spares all night. When the pressure was on I was worrying if I could cover those or do what I needed to do.”
But that burden was lifted during the title match of Thursday’s Hall of Fame Summer Series event at AMF Hall of Fame Lanes.
Jones, the No. 4 seed, ran the stepladder and didn’t have to shoot a spare in the title match until his final shot en route to a 241-212 win over Walsh University junior and No. 1 seed Robert Wilson.
It marked Jones’ second victory of the four-event series (he won the second event) to go along with a fourth-place finish in the third event.
“This one was more difficult. I had a little more miss room during the first (win). The (ball) surface made the difference,” said Jones, who won $312 for his victory. “I was throwing some low end stuff this time. The last time, I had to throw something that was rolling a little earlier.”
It was definitely not an easy road.
After leading qualifying through the first two games, Jones shot just 142 in Game 3, but still held on to second. He finished with 189 to earn the No. 4 seed.
In his opening stepladder match against No. 5 seed Tony Confalone, a 54-year-old Perry Township right-hander, Jones started the match by missing a 10-pin spare. But it was his only open frame en route to a 193-179 win, including a key double on his first ball of the 10th frame on a high crossover hit.
Confalone left 4-7-10 and 4-6-7 splits in the first and third frames, both on the left lane to fall behind early.
“The lane lane was a problem. It wanted to read a little harder on the back end and was picking up a lot sooner,” Jones said.
In the quarterfinal against 55-year-old Lake Township lefty Jeff Mowls, Jones left a 1-5-7 in the first frame, a 1-2-4-8 in the third and 2-6-10 in the fifth — and failed to convert the spares.
But Mowls, who also finished fifth the last time Jones won, struggled with just three strikes and one spare en route to a 152-125 loss.
That’s when Jones made a ball and line change.
“I threw the (Storm) All Road all through qualifying and the first two games of the stepladder. Then I switched to the (Roto Grip) UFO Alert,” Jones added. “I got more aggressive and stayed more down the line. I just tried to make sure to follow through on my shots.
“I was getting real easy because I was getting tired.”
In the semifinal against 25-year-old Uniontown right-hander Dave Mramor Jr., Jones left a 4-6 split in the sixth and missed a 2-pin spare in the eighth frame. But Mramor also missed a 2-pin and a 1-10 during the first five frames to go along with a 4-6-10 split in the seventh en route to a 180-157 loss.
“I decided in the third match to play a different part of the lane. I moved a little more inside and I managed to find a little push spot where the ball would either roll up and be light or hold up a little on the head pin for some carry,” Jones said.
The strategy worked to his advantage in the title match as he started with the first four strikes before leaving an 8-pin and converting. But the big shot came in the sixth when Jones converted a 2-4-10 split.
Wilson, who won his first adult tourney in March at Wabash Lanes, shot 233 in Game 3 of qualifying to move to the top of the field on lanes 25-26, considered to be the toughest pair.
“I had a little bit of hook on the left lane and I felt like I could open up my angles. It freed up my swing a little,” said the 20-year-old Tallmadge right-hander, who ran off six strikes in a row in Game 3. “Then I just made three really good shots on the right lane.”
Wilson blamed himself for not making a ball change earlier in the title match.
“I think I was in the wrong ball too long. The (Motiv) Shock was just too strong,” Wilson said. “I switched to the (Motiv) Blue Corral Venom and I needed to get closer to where J.D. was playing,” Wilson said. “He had burnt the lanes down a bit.
“I was trying to play into his hook, but I was too deep. Once I moved in there, I was fine.”
After starting with three strikes in a row, Wilson failed to convert a 2-6-10 spare and followed it with a 4-6 split. But missing a 2-pin spare in the seventh proved to be his undoing despite finishing with five strikes in a row.
“If I tripped out that 2-pin in the seventh, I might have put some pressure on him at least,” Wilson said. “But I made the right move and I’m pretty happy about that because it’s all a learning experience.
“If I told my old self I would go even today during qualifying I would be over the moon. They were hard and you had to make your shots. It definitely was not easy.”
In his last stepladder appearance during the last series event, Jones struggled to a 140 in a loss to Rob Weary.
“I didn’t throw this ball last time. I was throwing a ball and trying to make it do something it wasn’t supposed to do,” Jones said. “I went with the correct stuff tonight. The carry down was more the problem for me, but I moved inside and found a spot.”
And it produced a second victory and some much needed confidence despite his big fall season.
“I’ve had a rough couple of weeks in league and I wanted to work on a couple of things,” Jones said. “It finally came around a bit during the stepladder.”
NOTEBOOK: The fourth series event drew its largest field of 38 bowlers on the 2020 U.S. Open No. 1 oil pattern. … Wilson finished with 790 total pinfall during the four-game qualifier to top the standings, averaging 197.5. … It took 729 to reach the stepladder finals (182.25) and 715 (178.75) to earn a cash spot. … Rob McPherson, who stood 32nd after Game 2, shot 207 and 215, respectively, his final two games to finish sixth, missing a stepladder spot by 13 pins. Louisville’s Kara Thomas took the final cash spot by just two pins over Keith Ziegler and Mark Walters … There were just 12 200 games shot during the event, with Mramor shooting 236 for the high game. His 236 and Mowls’ 233, both in Game 4, catapulted them into the stepladder finals after sitting 10th and 12th, respectively, after Game 3. … The next series event is at 6:20 p.m July 21 on the 2021 U.S. Open No. 1 pattern. Entry fee is $40. Bowlers must participate in at least three series events to be eligible for the Aug. 11 end-of-summer finale. For information, contact T.J. Owens at 330-265-4900, on Facebook or at TJOWENS1992@gmail.com.
FINAL STANDINGS
Match 1: J.D. Jones d. Tony Confalone 193-179. Confalone wins $80.
Match 2: Jones d. Jeff Mowls 152-`125. Mowls wins $90.
Match 3: Jones d. Dave Mramor Jr. 180-157. Mramor wins $120.
Championship: Jones d. Robert Wilson 241-212. Jones wins $312; Wilson wins $180.
Other cashers
6, Rob McPherson 716 total pinfall, $70 earnings; 7, Kara Thomas 715, $60.
CURRENT POINT STANDINGS
(Top 16 qualify for end-of-summer event, plus winners of six events; must bowl at least three total events to advance)
1, J.D. Jones (winner two events) 128; 2, Adam Kutz 103; 3, (tie) Kara Thomas, Jeff Mowls 87; 5, Alex Lincoln 83; 6, Mark Walters 75; 7, Curtis Duffield 73; 8, Eric Long 70; 9, Rob McPherson 66; 10, Tony Confalone 65; 11, Dave Mramor Jr. 63; 12, Chase Barstow (winner) 62; 13, Branden Ball 59; 14, Frank Testa (winner) 57; 15, Jordan Norris 55; 16, Rob Weary 53; 17, Keith Zeigler 52; 18, Alex Coffelt 46; 19, Dave Mramor Sr. 42; 20, Jim Fellows 41; 21, Robert Wilson 40