[Southsider2k12]

http://www.thenewsdispatch.com/articles/20...2/sports/s1.txt

City girls win Valparaiso Regional

From staff reports

It was quite a day for Michigan City High School bowling Saturday in Valparaiso, Ind.

The girls team captured a regional championship and emerged as a favorite at the Merrillville Semi state, the boys team finished fourth and earned a spot in Merrillville, and Kelleen Miller took home the regional singles title.

In girls team competition, the Wolves qualified for the finals in the third position with a 2,682 team total behind traditional powerhouses Portage (2,747) and Lake Central (2,743) and ahead of Crown Point (2,675). All four teams advance to next Saturday's Merrillville Semi-State.

The top four teams then competed in a stepladder final to determine the regional champion. City squeaked past Crown Point 330-319 in the two-Baker format match. They then trounced past state champions Lake Central, 440-399, and Portage, 357-311, to bring home the hardware.

Junior Cece Story sparked the Wolves in Game 2 of qualifying with a 233 game.

The girls, the Porter-LaPorte Conference champions, and Baker Tournament Championship as well is certainly looking forward to next Saturday with a little more confidence.

“We feel we can beat anyone in the state right now,” coach Loren Hahn said.

Freshman Kristah Parmley echoed her coach's sentiments.

“We have really come together as a team at the right time of the year,” she said.

Junior Kelleen Miller went one step further. After playing out the exhausting team competition in the morning she returned to the lanes in the afternoon and emerged as the top female high school bowler in northwest Indiana.

Miller tied with Crown Point's Megan Fricke for second with a 599 series on games of 185,191, and 223. Miller defeated Fricke 39-18 to get the No. 2 seed. Fricke defeated Merrillville's Jil Larson 164-126. Miller then defeated Fricke 178-169 before toppling top seed Nikki Krooswyck of Portage 198-160.

Twelve girls advanced to the semi-state at Stardust II in Merrillville at 2 p.m.

The Michigan City boys earned their second consecutive birth at the semi-state level with a fourth-place finish, losing a heartbreaker to Hammond Clark in the opening match of the stepladder finals 369-364. Clark's anchor John Rambo doubled in the 10th to send the boys home.

Michigan City qualified third with a 3,105 team total. Crown Point led with 3,206, Griffith was second with 3,117, and Clark qualified fourth with a 3,059.

After defeating City, Clark was knocked out by Griffith 462-387. Griffith went on to win the regional, deafeating Crown Point 374-323.

Freshman Jacob Grams again led the Wolves with a 262 game, and senior Tyler Hill rolled a 258.

The boys semi-state team competition is set to begin at 9 a.m.

In the boys individual competition, Michigan City senior Owen O'Brien advanced for the second consecutive year by rolling a 627 series. Starting with game of 200 and 255, O'Brien was set to head into the finals before finishing with a disappointing 172 game. Other Michigan City boys competing at the regional were Jared Alsip with a 581 (14th) and Josh Bowman with a 573 (15th). Both boys missed the 12-bowler cut.

Bishop Noll's Sammy Krucek dominated the individual competition, rolling a 756 series during qualifying with a 258, 240 and 258 before winning the regional decisively 254-194 over Lynn Strohl of Boone Grove. Hammond Clark's Derrick Bohn was third and Munster's Ryan Slosser finished fourth.

[Southsider2k12]

http://www.thenewsdispatch.com/articles/20...1/sports/s4.txt

MC ousted, individuals move on
From staff reports

The road to the state finals came to an abrupt halt Saturday for the Michigan City High School bowling teams at the Merrillville Semi-State.

The City boys team, which made the state finals last year, finished in sixth place with a 3,138 team total. The top four teams, Crown Point (3,221), Hammond Clark (3,209), Griffith (3,207), and New Prairie (3,199) advanced.

“We're disappointed, that's for sure, but we earned a lot of respect from the other teams in the northern half of the state,” boys coach Brian Schwanke said.

“This was supposed to be a rebuilding year and we made it to the semi-state,” he added, alluding to losing four senior starters to graduation, three of whom are bowling collegiately.

“I'm proud of the kids. They all work hard and show lots of heart. I can't wait until next year,” Schwanke said.

The girls team suffered the same fate, finishing in ninth place with a 2,618 team total. Advancers for the girls teams include Elkhart Central (3,047), Lake Central (2,993), Muncie Southside (2,950), and Crown Point (2,819).

“It's really tough on all of us. We love the opportunity to compete and let the kids show what they can do. That is why Suburban Lanes picked up the program. That is what it is all about, giving the youth bowlers a chance to compete and earn scholarship money doing what they love to do,” girls coach Loren Hahn said.

The boys lose seniors Tyler Hill, O'Brien, and Adam Pakuszewksi, while the girls lose seniors Gina Skibinski and Kirsten David.

The New Prairie boys team surprised everyone. Bowling out of the Michiana West Conference, the Beacon Bowl-sponsored Cougars rolled an 1,143 team score in Game 2 led by the charge of Josh Maxson's 290 game. In the championship round the Cougars knocked off Griffith 472-388 before falling to eventual champion Hammond Clark 474-433. Clark went on to defeat Crown Point 521-418 for the title.

Michigan City will be represented at the state finals by two bowlers in individual competition.

Junior Kelleen Miller rolled a 655 series and advanced to the girls state finals on Saturday by virtue of her eighth place finish. She put together games of 210, 259, and 186 to earn a spot with the state's elite for the second year in a row. Other girls advancing from the Merrillville semistate include Amanda Carr (Muncie Southside, 696), Courtney Thompson (Jimtown, 674), Chelsea Farrell (Elkhart Memorial, 672), Heather Willard (Warsaw, 667), Tiffany Buck (Concord, 665), Michelle Grammatica (South Bend Clay, 664), and Christin Fluckey (LaVille, 640).

O'Brien will represent Michigan City in the boys competition. He rolled a 716 series on games of 214, 280, and 222 and finished in fifth place, just out of the stepladder finals. O'Brien missed making the team during tryouts in October, but was added afterward based on his contribution in last year's state finals where he rolled a 290 game.

Other boys advancing with O'brien include Derek Kelley (Jimtown, 769), Cory Lee (Marion, 735), David Proud (Elkhart Central, 730), Derrick Bohn (Clark, 723), Lynn Strohl (Boone Grove, 703), Sammy Krucek (Bishop Noll, 694), Adam Villagomez (Hammond Gavit, 693), and Colton Charlson (Chesterton, 690).

The team competition will begin at 8 a.m. CST at Coopers Sport Bowl in Anderson. Individual competition will commence at 1 p.m.