Girls bowling: Warren, Antioch earn team advancement to state tourney
It turns out making another trip to state was well within reach for both Warren and Antioch.
Both team advanced in the Buffalo Grove girls bowling sectional Saturday at Arlington Lanes in Arlington Heights, while Jasmine McKeel of Wauconda and Emily Voight of Lakes earned spots as individuals.
Hoffman Estates was the sectional champion with a pin total of 5,927. Schaumburg grabbed second place (5,688), with North Suburban Conference champion Warren in third (5,486) and Antioch fourth (5,380).
Those four teams will compete Friday and possibly Saturday in the state tournament at Cherry Bowl in Rockford.
Warren has earned state trips the previous two years, so this year's seniors are well versed in the state tournament experience. The Blue Devils finished 12th two years ago; last year they missed out on competing for a second day by a mere 13 pins and finished 13th.
"We had a conversation about it," said Warren coach KC Lange, referring to the perceived pressure of trying to earn a return to state. "It's unfortunate that sometimes people are measured by that, but the kids did a great job. They were consistent, and we had a little bit of trouble (Saturday afternoon). We fought through it. I thought our spare shooting kept us in it.
"This game is always about spares. When you're not carrying strikes, then you really have to make your spares. We're going to state, and it's like a family at this point. Some of the younger kids will see it for the first time, and it will be an experience for them. I hope it translates into something big for them in the future."
Warren started out strong, with 2,965 over its first three games of 976, 928 and 1,061. Games 803, 880 and 838 followed in the afternoon.
"We were great, threw the ball great and got the ball down," Lange said. "But I thought we got tired at the end of the day."
Hayley Gregerson led the Blue Devils with a 1,268 series. She finished in fourth place behind tournament medalist Kylie Frick of Schaumburg (1,327).
Other Warren contributors included Amanda Yoder and Brianna Haith, both with 1,114, along with Maggie Faje (1,072), Linsy Jante (761) and Theresa Harrison (157).
Antioch reached state for the first time since 2012. The Sequoits pulled together with an impressive 1,057 in their final game to earn the final team qualifying spot. All five girls bowled in the 200s, with a high game of 238 by Samantha Knab.
"I was hoping we could do it," Antioch coach Phil Lindberg said. "I guess that I'm in awe of these girls - because they've been working hard all year. They bowled as a team today. We really didn't have one standout. We bowled as a team and stuck together. It's an honor to go to state and there were a lot of good teams here."
Knab was the top Antioch bowler with 1,192, good for 10th place. The other scorers were Jillian Everett (1,105), Alyssa Olson (847), Lynn Michalec (823), Kayla Tikovitsch (733) and Allison Kane (680).
Voight was one of the five individuals to qualify for state after finishing with a 1,264. She reached state last year and made the second day of action, finishing in 31st place. She's setting a higher standard for herself this time.
"Now I want to survive past the first day and try to do something the second day. I want to make the top 10 - that would be nice. It was my goal last year and it didn't happen. I just have to make my spares."
McKeel will be making her first trip. The sophomore qualified with a total of 1,201 after opening the day with a high game of 266.
"I'm really excited about it and I'm looking forward to it," McKeel said. "I was trying to stay positive (Saturday), and I was making a lot of my spares. My team was able to keep me up with their support. I think bowling with better people makes you bowl better. So I liked the competition."
The other three individual qualifiers were Elizabeth White of Conant (1,294), Jenica Baron of Barrington (1,249) and Rebecca Howard of Buffalo Grove (1,196).