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mokenamessenger.com sports
the Mokena Messenger | February 21, 2019 | 39
fastbreak
Girls bowling
Griffins end season 10th at State Finals
22nd Century Media file
photo
1st-and-3
State Weekend
1. Gymnastics (Above)
The Lincoln-Way
co-op team made its
third-straight appearance
at the state
finals in Palatine
Friday, Feb. 15, and
came away with an
eighth-place finish.
The team is one of
only five to make it
three straight times.
2. Girls bowling
The Lincoln-Way
East girls bowling
team made its first
ever trip to the state
finals in Rockford. To
close its season, the
Griffins took home a
10-place finish in the
tournament.
3. Wrestling
Lincoln-Way East had
two representatives
at the state final in
Champaign, while
Lincoln-Way Central
had one. The Griffins’
Nick Mihajlovich
ended his career
with a fifth-place
finish.
RANDY WHALEN
Freelance Reporter
For a few hours, the Lincoln-Way
East girls bowling
team could dream.
Making their first ever
State Finals appearance, the
Griffins were among the
leaders after the morning
session on the first day of the
state bowling tournament
Friday, Feb. 15. After two
games they were third, and
through the first three games
they were fourth out of 24
teams.
So not only were they
in uncharted waters as far
as being at state, they were
hanging with the best teams
in the state.
“I was like, ‘Oh my God,
how?’” East coach Carlie
Premo admitted to thinking
afterward. “I was not prepared
for that. We’ve only
shot over 1,000 as a team
about five times all season,
so when we bowled (1,039)
in the second game it was
great.”
Although the Griffins leveled
off they made it to the
second day and ultimately
finished 10th at the IHSA
State Finals, which were
held at The Cherry Bowl in
Rockford.
“We were fourth and then
just had a tough afternoon,”
said Premo, who saw her
team sandwich 969 scores
around the 1,039 game in the
morning session. “So then
we reevaluated and said we
“We were cracking cans of ‘ka-ching.’ I wanted to go out with a bang in
my last game, and I’m really pleased with how far we’ve come since the
beginning of the season. No one thought then that we could be here, so
it was an accomplishment.”
Angie Juskie — Lincoln-Way east girls bowler
wanted to meet our original
goal of making it to the second
day.”
After a 2,977 morning, the
Griffins tossed out a 2,577
in the afternoon and finished
with an opening day total of
5,554, which placed them
ninth. The Top 12 of the 24
teams at state make it to the
second day.
In the final standings teamwise,
O’Fallon (12,122)
won its first-ever state trophy
with a first-place finish.
Two-time defending state
champion Harlem (12,024)
was second and brought
home its 10th state trophy in
the last 20 years. Minooka
(11,856) placed third, Joliet
West (11,429) fourth and
Lockport Township (11,272)
fifth.
The Top 5 individuals
were Machesney Park
Harlem’s Rebecca Hagerman
(2,670) who won by
118 pins over fellow senior,
Lauren Tomaszewski from
O’Fallon. Sophomore Caitlyn
Bannister (2,532), from
Rockford Auburn, was third
and Lockport sophomore
Chloe Siezega was only a
pin behind.
East had a trio of seniors
and they all bowled in every
game over the two days.
They were Angie Juskie
(2,339, 38th overall, high of
236 in game No. 6 on Saturday),
Morgan Tripi (2,314,
42nd overall, high of 234
in game No. 5 on Saturday)
and Sydney Tyler (2,119,
69th overall, high of 233 in
game No. 2 on Saturday).
“It was amazing and I’m
so happy I got to be here with
the team,” said Juskie, who
also opened each day with a
235 game and closed out her
high school career with her
highest game of the tournament.
“It’s not too shabby
and it’s an accomplishment
for us to get here at all.”
Tripi was glad the team
didn’t trip up in the postseason
run of getting a qualifying
spot out of both regionals
and sectionals.
“It was really good,” Tripi
said. “We worked so hard
for it and to get here. It’s the
best outcome I could have
thought of for my senior
year. I’m just happy everyone
got to go with and I hope
the rest of the team is back
next year.”
Sophomore Katelyn
Marks (1,839, high of 199
in games No. 3 and 5 on Friday)
and junior Katelyn Adamitis
(1,711, high of 203 in
game No. 2 on Friday) each
bowled in 10 games. Junior
Meaghan Mirabella (310,
high of 163 in game No. 4
on Saturday) rolled a pair of
games and junior Jordan Tatgenhorst
(135 in game No. 5
on Saturday) and sophomore
Sara Tripi (130 in game No.
4 on Saturday) each bowled
a game.
“I’m happy with how we
finished,” Premo said. “[On
the second day] we just held
steady. I made a decision to
bowl everyone. There’s not a
big difference between ninth
and 10th and I just wanted
everyone to enjoy the experience
as a team.”
They certainly did that, as
Juskie was joking around at
the end.
“We were cracking cans
of ‘ka-ching,’” she smiled.
“I wanted to go out with a
bang in my last game [236],
and I’m really pleased with
how far we’ve come since
the beginning of the season.
No one thought then that we
could be here, so it was an
accomplishment.”
Lincoln-Way West junior
Olivia Daujatas was the last
bowler to make the individual
cut out of Friday and go
into Saturday. She finished
with a 12-game total of
2,224, with a high of 257 in
game No. 3 on Friday.
“I made it by three pins,”
Daujatas said of her 1,107
first day total, which put her
in the final cutoff spot for the
second day. “I bowled well
[Friday] morning with a 617
but I only bowled 490 in the
afternoon and still held onto
30th place.
“It was a good experience
to be here again this year but
I missed the team [the Warriors
placed 11th last season].
Next year [fellow West
junior] Mackenzie Ullian
will have to grind so we can
make it as a ream,”
Listen Up
“I was like, ‘Oh my god, how?’”
Carlie Premo – Lincoln-Way East girls bowling head coach, on the
Griffins’ run at the state finals in Rockford
TUNE IN
Boys Swimming and Diving
TBA, Friday, Feb. 22-Saturday, Feb. 23.
• Lincoln-Way Central and East are set to begin
the IHSA State Final prelims.
Index
35 – This Week In...
34 – Athlete of the Week
FASTBREAK is compiled by Editor T.J. Kremer III, tj@
mokenamessenger.com.