ALLEN PARK, Mich. — A pair of Wooster area junior players remain in the race for honors following Day 3 of the 25th annual Teen Masters at Thunderbowl Arena.
Triway High School junior Emma Yoder, who led following Day 1, had 1,026 total pinfall Wednesday with just one game over 200, to stand ninth overall with 3,413.
Wooster junior Abbie Leiendecker turned in the highest blocks of Day 3 with 1,290 to jump into fourth place at 3,560, just 78 pins behind leader and defending champion Brooklyn Buchanan of Snohomish, Wash.
The top 25 percent of the girls division’s 74-player field (19 players) advance to Thursday’s Day 4 and will bowl five more games before the field is cut to the top 12.
Wooster’s Addy Meshew was 43rd with 2,970, and Carrollton’s Tara Oberlin was 55th with 2,947.
Leiendecker had a high game of 254 on the day and rolled just one game under 200 (169) as she moved up the standings.
The right-hander also had an interesting way of doing her tourney tally sheets, according to Johnny Campos of 11thframe.com.
It had colorful artwork that included food, animals, emojis, and a variety of other items.
“I’ve always done some little doodles, but at Junior Gold this year, every sheet I got the whole back was covered,” Leiendecker told Campos. “I do it to distract myself when I’m not on the lanes, because I get distracted on the lanes a lot.
“So, if I do it off the lanes, it keeps my mind busy, and there’s a lot less to think about on the lanes.”
Leiendecker told Campos that she always has painted, but it is a talent that she hasn’t used much. The doodles in her mind usually end up on her scoresheet.
“I only do it when I’m bowling because it keeps my mind focused,” she explained. “A lot of people that I’m bowling with will see it and compliment it. But it just kind of flows.
“After every shot I just picked up the pen and did something, and then went and threw my next shot.”
BOYS UPDATE
Nathan Smith of Noblesville, Ind., rolled 1,378 for six games Wednesday to take the boys division lead with 3,948, 49 pins ahead of Hope Bunk of Billings, Mont.
The boys field was cut to 32 players following Wednesday’s final six of 18 qualifying games.
Tuslaw junior Cameron Kilgore finished 43rd with 3,469, missing the cut by 79 pins. Triway’s Aaron Meshew was 45th with 3,450, and Chad Harper was 82nd in the 128-player field with 3,174.
For complete results, go to:
https://www.teenmasterschampionships.com/standings
PBA50: BARNES LEADS IN MICHIGAN
WYOMING, Mich. – Chris Barnes, despite shooting 196 in his first game Wednesday, averaged 232 for his seven-game block to take the qualifying lead after two rounds of the PBA50 Spectrum Lanes Open at Splecdtrum Entertainment Complex.
Barnes, the PBA Hall of Famer from Denton, Texas, posted a high game of 276 and finished with 3,203 total pinfall, just two pins ahead of James Campbell of Clearwater, Fla.
Barnes felt like the friction on the lanes Tuesday night made the lanes tighter down lane. That created a confusing combination that he did not solve for quite a while.
“They got kind of dry-wet from front-to-back and that made it a little tricky to figure out how to strike on that,” Barnes told the PBA’s Jill Winters.
On the fresh oil pattern Wednesday, Barnes used his Storm Nova with polish on it to get down the lane and have a little bit of energy at the back of the lanes. He admits he was inspired by watching how Campbell attacked the lanes on day one of qualifying.
“He was throwing a slower ball and he has more axis rotation to hook it and still be able to strike,” Barnes said. “I had to really increase my axis rotation to get it through the pins here. We are down the list on the number of tricks we are trying to use to get it to go through them right.”
As Barnes looks ahead to another advancers round and match play, he jokes the key to making it to his sixth stepladder of the season is “evidently, be the second seed. Three times I was the top seed, and I lost the first match.”
“Stop making mistakes and stop giving them opportunities because this year it seems when they have had opportunities they are walking through the door,” he said. “I’ve got to start closing the door or just not creating any opportunity at all.”
Maineville’s Bill Watson (3,161), first-round leader Eugene McCune of Munster, Ind., (3,156) and Hall of Famer Walter Ray Williams Jr. (3,103) round out the top five.
The top 24 return for the five-game advancers’ round at 9 a.m. Thursday as the push begins toward the evening stepladder finals.
Parker Bohn III is the defending champion and he is in seventh place. Ashtabula’s Dave Johnson was the cut number at 2,930, edging Dennis Johnson by just one pin.
Canton’s Tony Johnson sits 13th with 3,032 after sitting 11th after Day 1. Fremont’s Gary Schluchter earned the final cash spot in 29th place with 2,909 in the 89-player field.
Akron’s Don Hogue finished 59th with 2,728. Watch every game of PBA50 action exclusively on BowlTV.com.
For complete standings and updates, go to:
https://www.r2sports.com/website/standings.asp?TID=38203
PBA CENTRAL REGION: McCUNE TOPS FROBERG MEMORIAL
ST. JOSEPH, Mich. — Eugene McCune captured his 29th regional title by stopping PBA Hall of Famer Walter Ray Williams Jr. in the title match of the PBA50 Ruth Froberg Memorial-Brunswick Central-Midwest Open on Sunday.
McCune stopped Williams, the No. 5 seed in the stepladder finals, 227-216 to earn the $3,000 top prize. The Munster, Ind., right-hander was the top seed after finishing with 3,638 total pinfall following 16 games.
Williams, an Oxford, Fla., right-hander, completed 16 games with 3,418 to earn the No. 5 seed for the stepladder finals by 14 pins over James Krafft.
Williams stopped No 4 seed Parker Bohn III (244-207), No 3 seed Dan Knowlton (222-182) and second-seeded Bill Watson (255-246) to reach the title match.
David Matheny earned the final advancers’ round spot in 18th place after eight qualifying games with 1,643 in the 54-player field.
Watson was the qualifying leader with 1,821, just three pins ahead of McCune.
The next PBA Central Region event is the PBA Farers State Bank Central-Midwest Open, set for Saturday and Sunday at Angola Bowl in Angola, Ind.
For complete PBA50 regional results, go to: