By BILL SNIER
AKRON — It was not the performances any of the qualifiers had hoped for heading into postseason play.
But the coaches still found positives despite the problems during Monday’s Northeast District Division I Summit girls sectional bowling tournament at Spins Bowl-Akron.
Norton High School, which took a 102-pin lead after shooting 824 in Game 1, captured the sectional title with 3,261 total pinfall to lead four team qualifiers into district play.
The Panthers will be joined by Akron Hoban (3,191), making its second straight district trip; Tallmadge (3,080), also earning its second straight trip; and Medina Buckeye (3,036), which earned the final berth by 197 pins over fifth-place Walsh Jesuit.
“It was good enough for sectional, but we are going to have to step it up for district,” Norton coach Michael Sayre said. “The big letdown was in the third game when we dropped over 100 pins from our first two games.
“We let up there and then in the Bakers we missed some easy spares we should have had.”
The format was three regular games followed by six Baker System games with the top four teams advancing to district. The top four individuals, who were not members of advancing teams, also moved on.
Individual district qualifiers include Akron Ellet’s Leah Overholt, Medina Highland’s Gracie Dunne, Walsh Jesuit’s Gabrielle Price and Akron Firestone’s Cambria Scarborough.
The Northeast District girls tournament is set for 10 a.m. Feb. 24 at Roseland Lanes in Oakwood.
FINISHING ON TOP
After posting 800s during their first two games, the Panthers shot just 694 in Game 3. They did end up with the high Baker set of 935 (155.83 average).
“The bowlers were more consistent overall, hitting their marks,” Sayre said. “We preach posing their shot and not pulling off and changing angles. They did a better job of that. Our spares were a lot better.”
Senior Madalyn Mullet led the Panthers with a 506 series, with junior Jenna Higgins adding 484 and junior Samantha Clason shooting 451.
Norton’s lead was reduced to just 32 pins after the three-game set, but was increased to the final margin of 70 at the conclusion of the Baker block.
“I kept them in the dark about the scores until after the third team game. At that point, our lead had dropped to 32 pins,” Sayre said. “I told them they had to step it up if they wanted to remain first.”
Hoban coach Jim Bowling took a different approach to Bakers, alternating in his three nonstarters to “give them a chance to bowl.”
“It was not about winning this week … it was about making it back to district,” Bowling said. “We wanted our nonstarters to get a feel for it.”
The Knights shot just 897 in Bakers, closing with 135, 128 and 144. But Bowling was pleased with what he saw from his team.
“They stayed right in it and they were focused. They stayed up with the transitions and never lost their mental games,” Bowling said. “I’m very proud with how they did.
“We just have to keep them level-headed and relaxed. For me, it’s about keeping the emotions in the right spots. We were bowling to make the cut, and that’s all we were trying to do.”
Sophomore Roni Caputo led the Knights with a 504 series, with junior Danielle Ferree adding 458 and sophomore Isabella Shook had 455. The Knights started three juniors and two sophomores during the tournament.
Tallmadge shot the second-highest Baker set of 926 to maintain third place in a battle with Buckeye for that spot. Neither was seriously challenged by fifth-place Walsh Jesuit, which had just 802 in Bakers after being 130 pins out of the cut after the opening three games.
The Blue Devils were led by senior Grace Tackett’s 490, with junior Kaedyn Bender adding 467 and senior Alexandria Pavlik shooting 454.
Buckeye coach Nancy Tinney admitted her Bucks had “more open frames than I anticipated.”
“But I wanted to hold them steady in Bakers, and that’s what it took to hold on to that fourth spot,” said Tinney, who admitted a reporter kept informing her of where the team stood in the standings
“We didn’t want them to tank the Bakers, and they came through. I was hoping we could hold our own.”
Senior Karlie Cesarski finished third individually to lead Buckeye with a 515 series, including 210 in Game 3, and junior Aubrey Reuter added 449.
“Karlie e really boosted us in the third game when the rest of the girls kind of fell off.” Tinney said.
INDIVIDUALS ADVANCE
The top two individual finishers — Overholt, a senior, and Dunne, a sophomore — led the individual qualifiers, and topped the standings shooting 584 and 558, respectively. Dunne, who bowled on the boys team for Highland all season, is competing as an individual during the tournament after making it to state as a freshman a year ago.
They will be joined by Walsh Jesuit senior Price, who finished sixth overall with 502, and Falcons senior Scarborough, who shot 479 to gain the final individual spot by 12 pins.
The coaches were consistent on what has to be improved for next week’s district event.
“We have to work on spare shooting, continue with our consistent play,” Sayre said. “We have to try to add 15 to 20 pins per player and then hit the Bakers. We have to step it up.”
NOTEBOOK: Only 15 of the 17 teams bowled Baker games as Barberton (four players) and Akron Garfield (three players) competed only with individuals. … There were only three 800 team games on the OHSAA sectional-district oil pattern, with Norton posting the high of 824 in Game 1 and having two of the three. … There were no 200 Baker games, the high being 191 by Tallmadge and Akron Ellet. There were 11 sub-100 Baker games. … High individual game was 233 by Overholt in Game 1, with Dunne shooting 232 in Game 2. … There were just six 500 series in the field. … District tickets will be sold online only. No cash will be accepted at the door.
