By BILL SNIER
ALLIANCE — The reverse block oil pattern — the toughest of the four used during this weekend’s Alliance Skills Challenge — was the major obstacle facing the 27 players in the field.
But hitting it at the right time — preferably during the first two of the four-game qualifier — proved beneficial for the only champion the three-year event has known.
Kevin Schott, who shot the third highest game on that pattern (163) and finished with a tourney-high 235 on the house pattern, watched his Saturday score stand up to 16 Sunday competitors as he claimed his third straight Challenge title to go along with his Alliance Masters win earlier this season.
“Truthfully, I was a little worried coming into today,” said the 25-year-old Alliance right-hander who finished with 795 in Saturday’s 11-player field — the highest recorded in the history of the event he has dominated.
“I really don’t know what it is. I feel like I come up with a game plan and follow through with it. It seems to be working for me.”
The tournament at the four-lane Al Leasure Lanes inside American Legion Post 166 featured a different oil pattern on each lane — house, reverse block, 25-foot shot and 50-foot long. Each competitor bowled one game on each pattern, with starting lanes being assigned through a blind draw.
After finishing 29 pins ahead of second-place Lewis Stansbury (766) on Saturday, Schott had to watch as Canton’s Alex McCourry made a charge at his total Sunday.
The 29-year-old left-hander shot 219 on the house pattern and followed that with 205 on the 25-foot short to stand at 599 heading into the final game.
But, as Stansbury also unfortunately faced in Game 4 on Saturday, McCourry had to finish on the reverse block.
“I knew Alex had.a shot to beat me,” said Schott, who hit the difficult pattern in Game 2. “But I also knew he had to finish on the toughest pattern. I was lucky enough to hit the hardest pair early.”
McCourry knew what he was up against.
“If it was any other lane, I would have been fine,” McCourry said. “But a reverse block is just so tough. You have to play straight up and just throw rifles at the pocket with plastic or something that doesn’t hook and pray to God you can knock down 10 pins.”
Stansbury faced a similar situation Saturday after leading the tournament and Schott by 68 pins heading into his final game on the reverse. He finished with 134.
“I’m disappointed. I was looking forward to to it so much, but to give it away like that,” said Stansbury, a 43-year-old Alliance veteran who was forced to take seven years off of the sport due to injuries sustained in a fall from a helicopter.
“i was scared of it, and the good ball reaction I saw I wasn’t sure if I was going to be able to maintain it. I was trying to stay away from disaster bowling rather than focusing on making great shots and executing.”
Would hitting the pattern earlier have helped?
“I can’t answer that because I don’t know how it would have been on the fresh. I don’t like to think about those things,” Stansbury added. “The draw was the draw and, to be honest with myself, I didn’t do what I had to do with what was in front of me, and that was spare shooting.”
McCourry failed to convert a 5-pin spare in the 10th frame that sent him to third place with 758 — just eight pins behind Stansbury. The top three in the field cashed, with Schott taking home $640 for the win.
It was the first time McCourry had thrown a ball since the Stark County USBC Open Championships in early May.
“Bowling kind of ended on a sour note for me at the end of the season and I needed a break,” McCourry said. “I forgot about this until (tournament director) Alan (Leasure) called me Monday and asked if I was bowling. I had said I would so I told him yes.
“I like this because it’s an even playing field for everyone. We all have to hit all of the patterns so we’re almost on an even plane.”
For Schott, his final game on the house shot proved to be the big moment.
“It was a huge game,” Schott said. “I knew I needed a lot being down 68 going into the final game. But I also knew (Lewis) was going to the toughest pattern and I was going to the easiest.”
NOTEBOOK: Ryan Suter, who chose to re-enter Sunday after sitting third Saturday with 680, earned a $60 bonus for recording the high game on the reverse block with 184. He shot 138 on it Sunday en route to 672. … McCourry’s 758 topped Sunday’s shift by 58 pins over Matt Coffelt (700). No one has yet to shoot 800 in the tourney’s three-year run. … The high game on the reverse block Sunday was Rob Weary’s 178, with McCourry second at 159. Weary opened in the 10th frame or he could have had a shot at Suter’s mark. … Schott also receives a free entry into next year’s event. … Proceeds from the tournament will be used for the bowling center, with installation of air conditioning being high on the list. … McCourry was the lone lefty in the field and Jessica Vandegrift was the lone female, finishing with 574. There were no two-handers. … The lane patterns remained on the same lanes Saturday and Sunday. … Low games of the day were 78 and 84 — both on Lane 2. There were four games under 100 Sunday overall after two on Saturday.
ALLIANCE SKILLS CHALLENGE
(Saturday and Sunday at Al Leasure Lanes, American Legion Post 166, Alliance)
Cashers
(With four-game totals)
1, Kevin Schott 795, $640; 2, Lewis Stansbury 766, $300; 3, Alex McCourry 758, $100
Other finishers
(With four-game totals)
4, Matt Coffelt 700; 5, Rob Weary 697; 6, Ryan Suter 680; 7, Chuck Spencer 674; 8, Ryan Sutter 672; 9, Jeremy Thompson 635; 10, J.D. Jones 634; 11, Matt Frock 626; 12, Brandon Cordi 617; 13, Matt Frock 613; 14, Alex Lincoln 591; 15, Michael Emerick Sr. 580; 16, Joe Stauffer 579; 17, Jessica Vandegrift 574; 18, Dustin James 568; 19, Derrick Simon 545; 20, Randy McCoy 541; 21, Brandon Livengood 538; 22, Alex Coffelt 501; 23, Randee Fath 499; 24, Nick McCoy 486; 25, Michael Emerick Jr. 481; 26, Chris Simon 442; 27, Dustin James 425.