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36 | February 7, 2019 | The Lockport Legend sports lockportlegend.com Girls Bowling Porters win sixth-straight regional by 330 pins Team hopes to make 24th state appearance Randy Whalen Freelance Reporter Chloe Siezega knows Lockport Township girls bowling. She grew up with it. She also knows this is the time of the season the Porter girls bowling team thrives. So, Siezega, a sophomore, has put it upon herself to improve her game at this time of the year. That’s exactly what she has done, as she was the Porters’ top performer as they cruised to the championship of the Oswego Regional by 330 pins on Saturday, Feb. 2 at Parkside Lanes in Aurora. It was the sixth-straight regional title for Lockport, which is made even better by the fact that the regionals have only been around for six seasons. Before that, there were only sectionals. The Top 4 teams from the regional advanced to the Romeoville Sectional, which will be held this Saturday, Feb. 9, at Town & Country Lanes in Joliet. Siezega led the way in the regional by bowling a 1,210 series for an average of nearly 202. She had a high of 245 in Game 5. That placed her third overall, just 37 pins behind regional champ, senior Kendra Anifer (1,247) from Lemont. Plainfield East senior Kayla Dench (1,219) was second. “My form is better than ever,” Siezega said. “I trust myself more, have more confidence and believe in myself.” To say bowling is in Siezega’s genes is an understatement. Her mom, Lynda [Larson] Siezega is the JV girls bowling coach at Lockport and was a member of the Porters first bowling team in the 1985-1986 school year. Her sister, 2013 Lockport graduate Megan Szczepanski, is currently an assistant boys bowling coach at Lewis University. Chole first bowled when she was 3 at Strike and Spare II. “Not really,” Chloe Siezega said when asked if she felt pressure because of her family’s history with Lockport bowling. “I look at it more of a chance to follow in their footsteps, not to step in their shoes. I just look forward to having more fun and more success.” While that has shown to be true, especially this season, Siezega has really stepped it up as of late. She was Lockport’s top bowler in the South- West Suburban Conference meet on Jan. 19 at Strike and Spare II. Her six-game total there of 1,294 was a career high, and so was her opening three-game series of 674. “Chloe has really followed in mom and Megan’s footsteps,” Lockport coach Art Cwudzinski said. “She’s peaking at the end of the year.” Cwudzinski hopes the rest of the team is, too. While Siezega had the best score on the team, the Porters had a trio of bowlers in the Top 8 in the regional. The other two were junior Samantha Traina (1,168, 7th, high of 268 in Game 2) and junior Jessica Ramirez (1,164, 8th, high of 234 in Game 2). Erin Kleffman (654 in 4 games, high of 188 in Game 3) was the only senior on the regional roster. Junior Emilie Pleshar (563 in 3 games, high of 217 in Game 2), freshman Isabella Colon (337 in 2 games, high of 172 in Game 4), freshman Emma Punter (326, high of 169 in Game 5) and sophomore Payton Vandenburg (159 in Game 6) rounded out the Porter lineup. They had an excellent second game as a team, bowling a 1,089. That was their only game over 1,000, but that’s all they needed on this day. “The shot was pretty tough,” Cwudzinski said of the lane conditions. “We bowled pretty well, and all of the girls got a chance to bowl.” The Top 4 teams advance to the sectional. Lockport (5,581) easily finished first, with Plainfield East (5,251), Oswego East (5,190) and Neuqua Valley (5,143) all advancing. Sandburg (4,972) placed fifth, followed by Oswego (4,900), Lemont (4,829), Romeoville (4,607), Plainfield North (4,514), Bolingbrook (4,306), East Aurora (3,924), Waubonsie Valley (3,855) and West Aurora (3,774), which rounded out the 13-team field. “We did well on one-pin spares,” Cwudzinski said. “We say spares win championships, and they did [at the regional].” If Lockport finishes in the Top 4 in the sectional, it will be making its 24th trip to the State Finals in the 34th season as a program. The State Finals are held on Friday and Saturday, Feb. 15 and 16, at The Cherry Bowl in Rockford. Former Porter named to collegiate All-Conference team Staff Report Lockport resident Billy Krawczyk was recently named to the Collegiate Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin All-Conference football team for his efforts this past season. Krawczyk, who was a senior defensive back for Carroll University, was named to the Second-Team defensive squad after completing an impressive season. He piled up 62 tackles, four interceptions, three tackles for loss and two sacks to earn the honor. His four interceptions accounted for half of the team’s total for the season, and his 62 tackles were the second most on the squad. Lockport Township High School graduate Billy Krawczyk was named to the CCIW All-Conference football team for his performance during his senior season at Carroll University. Photo submitted This Week In... Lockport Township High School Varsity Athletics Boys Basketball ■Feb. ■ 8 at Homewood-Flossmoor, 7 p.m. ■Feb. ■ 12 host Minooka, 7 p.m. ■Feb. ■ 13 host Bolingbrook, 6:30 p.m. Wrestling ■Feb. ■ 8 at IHSA Individual Sectional, TBA ■Feb. ■ 9 at IHSA Individual Sectional, TBA Girls Bowling ■Feb. ■ 9 at IHSA Sectional, TBD Girls Track and Field ■Feb. ■ 7 host Lincoln-Way Central, 4:30 p.m. Boys Track and Field ■Feb. ■ 9 host Lockport Quad, 10 a.m.
lockportlegend.com sports the Lockport Legend | February 7, 2019 | 37 Boys Basketball Porters show resiliency, but fall to Raiders Randy Whalen Freelance Reporter For the first 15 minutes of last weekend’s showdown with state-ranked Bolingbrook, things were not going well for the Lockport Township boys basketball team. The Porters, who were coming off a pair of subpar performances the week before, were getting shellacked by nearly 30 points. But senior Aaron Grcevic kept the faith and kept the energy up. While Lockport didn't complete a huge comeback, it shaved 19 points off the deficit in a little more than 10 minutes before eventually falling to the Raiders by a score of 77-63 in a SouthWest Suburban Conference Blue Division matchup on Friday, Feb. 1, at Bolingbrook. With the win, Bolingbrook (15-6, 4-1) ended a three-game losing streak. The Porters (11-8, 2-3) lost for the third straight game but looked to be back to being the team that they had been the first two months of the season in the second half. That was in part thanks to a spark from a couple of bench players, especially Grcevic. "Aaron always does that," Lockport coach Brett Hespell said of the guard coming in and giving the team a boost. "He's a leader out there." Lockport trailed 42-13 when senior post player Kameron Leonard (5 points, 6 rebounds) hit the second of two free throws with 1:04 to play in the first half. The wrestling From Page 39 Porters were looking miserable and had only scored one basket in the previous nine minutes. But undaunted junior guard Tim DiCristofano nailed a 3-pointer with 45 seconds to play in the half. Just 28 seconds later, Grcevic did the same thing, as he swished a trey. Then, with the 'Brook holding for the final shot, Grcevic swooped in and got a steal. He then sped down and converted a perfectly timed layup that went in as the buzzer sounded and Lockport cut the nearly 30-point deficit to 42-21. But the 5-foot-5 inch Grcevic wasn't done. Being at least five inches shorter than any of the Raider guards, he fearlessly pulled up from 3-feet beyond the top of the key and drained another 3-pointer to open the third quarter. While those would be the last points for Grcevic (season-high 8 points) he had provided a spark. All of a sudden the deficit was under 20, the Porter fans in the crowd were stirring and the confidence that had been missing in the team for nearly two-and-a-half games returned. "I always have to stay ready and always have to be ready to step in there," Grcevic said. "Mentally and physically you have to be ready to step up and stay confident. We needed something to get going, to build off of. We did that in the third quarter and got some good things going. "This is a good step for- both finished third. McCormack (24-19) lost his first match in the quarterfinals against Palmer but battled back for three straight wins. After two pins, he ran into Palmer again in the third-place match and got revenge when it really mattered, recording a ward and now we've got to get better every game. There's no quit in this team." An 11-5 burst at the end of the third quarter drew Lockport within 53-38 after three. Then, a 7-2 spurt opened the fourth quarter. That was capped on a 3-pointer by Matt Hatzopoulos which made the score 55-45 with 6:36 to play in the game. It also capped a 32-13 stretch for the Porters in just over 10 minutes. But it wouldn't get any closer than 10 points as the Raiders started displaying the talent that still makes them the best team in the conference. Senior guard Tyler Cochran (12 points) scored seven points as Bolingbrook scored as many points as it had in that 10 minute stretch (13) in the next 2:30 span to go ahead 68-50 with 3:45 to play in the game. Lockport never got closer than the final score. "You've got to give Brett and his kids credit," Bolingbrook coach Rob Brost said of Hespell and the Porters. "We knew they were a much better team than the [first half] score indicated. We knew the second half would be different. But if you would have told me before the game that we'd win 77- 63, I'd have taken it." Bolingbrook's scoring came from everywhere. Junior guard Darius Burford (19 points) led the way, Joseph Yesufu (16 points) and fellow senior guard Jordan Myrick (9 points) along with senior forward Tyrique Mc- 15-9 win. Pasowisty (28-16), meanwhile, was pinned by Landando in the quarterfinals and also had to win three straight do-or-die matches. Murrin (11 points) rounded out five players with nine or more points. Hatzopoulos (15 points) and fellow senior guard Jacob Karli (13 points), scored all of their points in the second half to pace the Porters. Senior post player Tommy Halatek (12 points) and senior guard Quinn Gardner (7 points) also contributed. Lockport had early leads of 2-0 and 4-3. The Raiders led 12-8 with 1:59 left in the first quarter and then embarked on a 25-2 blitz for 37-10 lead with 3:13 left in the first half. The advantage eventually grew to 29 at 42- 13. "Playing one of the best teams in the state, we can't come out and question ourselves," Hespell said. "Why we came out [to start] and played like we had something to lose is a mystery to me." But Hespell was much happier with his team's performance in the second half. "The team that we saw in the second half was the team that took Simeon to the wire, Danville to the wire," he said. "The team that played last week, the team that played in the first half, I don't know. Hopefully, in the second half, we started to find ourselves a little bit." Earlier in the week, frigid temperatures on Jan. 29 postponed the Porters game at Joliet Central. The hope to make up the matchup with former coach Lawrence Thompson, Jr. but no date had been set. He recorded a pair of pins before edging Sottosanto 5-2 in the third-place match. “All the work I put in my senior year was for that match,” Pasowisty said. Lockport Boys Baseball ready for 50th-season milestone Max Lapthorne, Editor Baseball was a much different game in 1969. Fifty years ago, Ernie Banks earned $60,000 in the final All-Star season of his Hall-of-Fame career with the Chicago Cubs, while Jon Lester is set to make $27.5 million to lead the Cubs’ pitching staff in 2019. But even though the game of baseball has changed — financially and otherwise — one local organization has been around to see it all happen: Lockport Boys Baseball. The recreational baseball league based in Lockport is celebrating its 50th year providing an opportunity for local children to experience America’s Pastime. As of now, there aren’t concrete plans for an anniversary celebration, but something is likely in the offing, according to CJ Phillips, VP of Operations for Lockport Boys Baseball. “Fifty years ago, a group of people got together and said ‘hey, let’s get something together for the kids,’” Phillips said. About 300-400 players across six levels are expected to be a part of the organization this year, according to Phillips. The levels range from the 4- and 5-yearold league called Shetland all the way up to the Pony league for 13- and 14-yearold players. There are no cuts, so anyone interested in playing is welcome to join. “All kids are encouraged, all kids are welcome,” Phillips said. “Our name is still technically Lockport Boys Baseball, [but] we are not gender-specific. We do have women coaches, we have girls that come out and play. Everyone is welcome.” In recent years, Phillips has seen participation in the organization decline, due at least in part to the increase in the prevalence of travel baseball teams. But even with the increasing popularity of travel baseball, organizations like Lockport Boys Baseball are still valuable because they offer leagues for players as young as 4 years old, Phillips said. While the younger leagues aren’t overly competitive, they do provide an initial exposure to the sport that cannot be found many other places. “It helps develop the kids for the grade schools, which then in turn feed into the high schools at much more competitive levels,” Phillips said. Lockport Boys Baseball is run entirely by volunteers, including Phillips. He sees it as not only an opportunity to teach local youths about baseball, but also to foster an atmosphere that allows them to grow in all facets of their lives. “Seeing them grow and develop, whether it’s a skill or just socially, it brightens my day,” Phillips said. “I know a lot of other volunteer coaches want to be around that happiness and bring joy to all the kids.”
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