By BILL SNIER
NORTH CANTON — It had become a running joke between the writer and 42-year-old Macedonia right-hander Jason Johnson.
Whenever he showed up at a tournament — and Johnson reached the final round — he knew what the result was going to be.
Second place.
“I even said to you before the match to go ahead and write the story now,” Johnson said. “I guess the psychology worked for me.”
Johnson, who earned the final match-play spot by just 12 pins after shooting 236 in Game 4 of qualifying, stopped Alex McCourry 269-257 in the title match of Saturday’s College Bowl Tournaments series singles event at Park Centre Lanes.
It came one week after Johnson finished second to Meeco Walker during the March 1 Kreative Touch March Madness event at Clutch Lanes and Sports Center in Cuyahoga Falls.
“This was a nice change,” said Johnson, who was bowling just his third CBT event. “Today, it was just a matter of knowing after last weekend, (the lanes) were going to be a lot easier.
“When you’re bowling on something like a house shot, it just comes down to picking the right ball and getting it to go through the pins the right way.”
March 1, the players bowled on a 43-foot U.S. Women’s Open pattern; Saturday, it was Park Centre’s house oil pattern.
But despite the difference, it took Johnson some time to find a way to strike.
“I threw three different balls, but the one I switched to in match play I hadn’t thrown all day,” said Johnson, who used the original Storm Ion Pro after using the Storm Identity and Roto Grip RST Hyperdrive during qualifying. “That Ion Pro is really good when the lanes start to hook.
“I came down to changing the angles a bit …. moving my feet left and looking a little more right. Then, getting the ball through the front part of the lane. It allowed the ball to go on a better angle to the pocket and kick out the corners. It made a difference.”
McCOURRY’S DAY
McCourry, a 30-year-old Canton left-hander who like Johnson is employed by Ace Mitchell Bowlers Supply, was trying to figure things out on the lanes most of the day.
“I started off well, but I didn’t have a lot of pin carry. The shot got really touchy for me,” said McCourry, who earned his first singles title in a CBT event at Park Centre in March 2023. “The balls I threw earlier in the day weren’t doing much of anything later in the day.”
McCourry, who finished as the No. 7 seed in the field and just one pin ahead of Johnson to reach match play, said he felt “trapped” most of the day.
“I had to go to a strong ball that was soft enough and just rip the cover off everything,” McCourry said. “Either that or the ball would push too far or it wouldn’t come up the hill.”
After using his Motiv Nebula most of the day but changing in and out, McCourry noticed a difference during his first match.
“The first ball in practice was a runaway Brooklyn, and that surprised me,” McCourry said. “I told myself, ‘I can play with this.’ I would be able to move right and let it walk in and I would be all right because my opponent was playing straighter.”
In a battle of left-handers in his opening match, McCourry stopped No. 2 seed Dell Ray Jr. 255-193.
He followed that up by stopping 21-year-old Middleburg Heights right-hander and former Walsh University player Andrea Guzowski 225-190 despite leaving a 2-4-6-7-8-10 split.
Guzowski, the No. 6 seed and first woman to advance to the final four in a CBT singles event, was hurt by 5-7 and 4-7-9-10 splits in the loss.
Johnson advanced to the finale with a 238-199 semifinal win over No. 4 seed Keith Zeigler, a 38-year-old Plain Township right-hander. The latter was hurt by 4-6-7 and 6-7-10 splits plus one open frame in the loss.
TITLE MATCH
Both players had solid looks during the title match. Two shots by McCourry proved to be the difference.
McCourry opened with a double before barely kicking out the 7-pin and leaving a 10-pin spare in the third frame. The same scenario occurred in the sixth frame on the opposite lane, with the lefty converting both spares.
“They were both open pockets and I saw it. I wanted to hit them sharp, but I missed both times. One time, it did fall, but the others …,” McCourry said.
Johnson, on the other hand, didn’t miss until leaving a 10-pin in the ninth frame. He covered the spare and then struck on his first ball in the 10th frame to seal the deal, leaving a 4-7 spare on his second ball. McCourry, meanwhile, struck on five of his last six shots.
“I had a really good look that last match and I needed every one of them,” said Johnson, who earned $530. “Alex bowled a great game except for a couple of bad breaks he got with the 10-pin.
“If you get lined up and are throwing it good and get the ball to go through the pins right, normally, you’re going to strike.”
McCourry was “ecstatic” about the result.
“After Game 3, I didn’t even know if I was going to even make the cut,” McCourry said. “I had to throw five of the last six (strikes) in the fourth game to even move on.”
Johnson couldn’t even remember his last singles title, “but it’s great to go out and win.”
“The title match last week didn’t look like the same guy,” Johnson added.
But this was another week — and a different lane condition.
NOTEBOOK: The event drew a 44-player field, leaving just one regular event on the CBT calendar prior to the May 9 finale at AMF Hall of Fame Lanes in Canton. … Ryan Trowbridge, the third Ace Mitchell employee to reach match play, was the qualifying leader with 1,065 (266.25 average), finishing 26 pins ahead of Ray. Johnson stopped Trowbridge 237-168 in his opening match. … There were a pair of 300 games thrown — both in Game 1. Zeigler and Capital University two-handed righty Zac Abbott had the 300s, with Abbott ultimately missing the cut to match play by 61 pins. Vincent Ludwig, the No. 3 seed, also had 299. … Thirty-two players averaged 200 or better in the field. … Johnson took the final match-play spot with 980 (245 average). He finished 12 pins ahead of Medina Highland High School bowling coach Brian Esterle (968). … The final cash spot in 13th place went to senior player Eddie Prowell with 912 (228 average) by two pins over Jordan Blair and former North Canton Hoover High School player Chase Wensel. … The final regular CBT event will be a regular doubles at 10 a.m. April 18 at Eastbury Bowling Center. Entry fee is $130 per team. Players must have bowled at least four events this season to qualify for the CBT season finale. … The only other female to reach the top four in a CBT event was Marissa Perrine, who teamed with Jack Lenhart to win a 50-50 doubles event at Eastbury. … Seeds 4 and 5 for match play tied at 989 after qualifying, with high game determining the higher seed. That went to Zeigler over Cooper Smith. … As always, our thanks to tournament director Jeff DiMarzio and Dawn Altimore-Eckenrode for their assistance with this report.
COLLEGE BOWL TOURNAMENTS SINGLES
(Saturday, at Park Centre Lanes, North Canton)
Round of Eight
(Losers each receive $130, seed is before names)
6 Andrea Guzowski d. 3 Vincent Ludwig 237-163; 7 Alex McCourry d. 2 Dell Ray Jr. 266-193; 4 Keith Zeigler d. 5 Cooper Smith 248-208; 8 Jason Johnson d. 1 Ryan Trowbridge 237-168
Semifinals
(Losers each receive $210)
Johnson d. Zeigler 238-199; McCourry d. Guzowski 225-190
Championship
(Winner receives $530; loser receives $315)
Johnson d. McCourry 269-257
Other cashers
(With four-game pinfall totals; each receives $65)
9, Brian Esterle 968; 10, Zac Abbott 919; 11, Derrick Simon 917; 12, Reggie Petty 917; 13. Eddie Prowell 912
