Tigers Stun Butler For Section Sweep
We learn as children that when a tornado is spotted, you should seek shelter. But this past Wednesday, the North Allegheny Tigers threw caution to the wind and aggressively took on the eye of the Butler Golden Tornadoes when they blew into Perry Park Lanes in McCandless.
Four of the top five averages in the WPIBL North belong to Butler. The next seven all belong to NA. It took a concentrated team effort to bring down the perennial powerhouse.
From the onset, it was truly a head-to-head competition. Butler’s Jordan Reges rolled the highest game of the match, 245, and Butler quickly posted 952 pins for the first game. Against any other team, this was probably enough to earn a victory. But, according to Popular Science, “To stop a tornado from forming, just heat this cold downdraft until it’s cold no longer.” The Tigers took this to heart and heated up the lanes with a 202, 211, 217, and 222; posting a 979 pinfall to take the all-important Game 1.
Game 2 started much the same and the lead changed many times. Butler was again able to throw a 900+ game. It came down to the 10th frame, and senior Griffin McVay was able to finish his game with three strikes, the coveted turkey, and catapult NA over Butler 948-919.
Having won the first two games and hence the match, North Allegheny could have lost focus. The Tigers started strong and took an early advantage. But as all competitive bowlers know, it takes 10 frames to win a game and Butler wasn’t looking to get swept by the home team. They battled back and took the lead be a small margin. Showing their perseverance and team play, the Tigers adjusted to the changing lane conditions, and pulled the rug out from under the Tornadoes again winning in the 10th frame, 968-949. This was Butler’s first match loss since December 2015.
Junior Alex Cook saved his best for last, rolling his highest series of the season, 612 (202, 207, 203). Freshman phenom Dylan Scheidler also knocked down his season high, 600 pins (222, 177, 201). Senior TJ Robinson made the most of his anchor position and put an exclamation point on the victory with a 634 series (211, 209, 214).
The Tigers look to carry this momentum with them into the post season, especially at next week’s team championships.
Five Tigers successfully qualified for the WPIBL Singles Championships, maintaining a 170+ average and a minimum of 21 Varsity games bowled: Scheidler, Cook, McVay, Robinson, and freshman Andrew Cook.
The Lady Tigers bowled their 2nd highest team series (1822) this week, but suffered a final defeat against the insurmountable Butler girls. Butler finishes the season 10-0, ranked the #1 team in the entire WPIBL. Freshman Lexie Robinson led the Tigers with a 473 Series. Junior Gretchen Kiefer bowled her highest game and highest series of the year (383) with a 114, 129, and 140. NA finishes the year solidly in third place in the North section of the WPIBL.
Sophomore Julia Jorden will represent the Tigers at the Girls Singles Championships at Sims Lanes in Beaver Falls later this month.