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38 | January 30, 2020 | the new lenox patriot sports newlenoxpatriotdaily.com Warriors advance to fourth straight boys bowling state finals 4 LW Central’s Nolan qualifies individually RANDY WHALEN Freelance Reporter Survive and advance. That was the mentality of the 16 boys bowling teams at the Lockport Sectional, all competing for six spots at the state finals. When it was over, Lincoln-Way West (6,107 pins over six games) had squeaked by to clinch its fourth straight state appearance, finishing sixth to claim the final advancing spot Saturday, Jan. 25, at Strike 'N Spare II in Lockport. Minooka (6,529) won the team title, followed by Richards (6,399), Joliet West (6,227), Lockport (6,147) and Plainfield South (6,118). The state finals are set for Friday, Jan. 31, and Saturday, Feb. 1, at St. Clair Bowl in O'Fallon. The Warriors had slipped to seventh going into the final game. But they rallied past crosstown rival Lincoln-Way Central to get back to state. "It's our fourth time in a row and these have been the only four years we've ever gone to state as a team," West coach Scott Jablonski said. "After four games, I hated being in that number six spot because I knew Joliet West [which rallied to edge the Warriors for the regional title the Saturday before] was right behind us. "We fell to seventh after the fifth game, but we stayed steady and did enough to advance." The Warriors didn't shoot Lincoln-Way Central senior Alex Nolan, pictured in a tournament earlier this season, advanced to the state finals as an individual. 22ND CENTURY MEDIA FILE PHOTO a terrible fifth game, with a 983, their only one under 1,000 all day. It was just that Joliet West had big scores of 1,079 and 1,113 the last two games. Lincoln-Way West's last game of 1,013 moved the team back to sixth as the Knights stumbled with an 882. A key for the Warriors at the end was old-fashioned support. "It feels amazing," Warrior senior Ivan Escolar said. "Everyone was pumped, and we really wanted to go as a team. Every time we got down, we helped each other up. In the end, we got up and bowled [their third best game] of the day." Escolar, who is one of two seniors on the team, led the way with a 1,258 score, with a high of 227 in the opening game. Sophomore Aidan Healy (1,247, high of 228 in Game 3), junior Nick Dudeck (1,222, high of 216 in Game 1), senior Cameron Jablonski (1,208, high of 234 in Game 5), and junior Glenn Prynn (1,172, high of 224 in Game 6) rounded out the balanced scoring for West. "It's my fourth year in a row going to state and I'm speechless," said Cameron Jablonski, who has now gone the past two seasons with his dad as the coach. "We snuck in the last game. We figured out where we were after the fifth game and knew we would have to bowl our hearts out and we did. "There's been a lot of stress but we are very relieved. It's been a pretty neat four years." For much of the day, Central (6,037) was looking like it would make another appearance at state. The Knights had gone the past two years, including winning a sectional title and taking third in the state two years ago. In the sectional, they were in the top six through five games, including moving up to second behind Minooka after having a monster second game of 1,133. They were fourth after the morning session and still fifth following a 1,006 in the fifth game, leaving them 41 pins ahead of Joliet West and 61 ahead of the Warriors. But then came the final game. "We shot an 882 and I believe that was our worst game of the year," Central coach Coley O'Connell said. "But credit both Joliet West and Lincoln-Way West, they had some good scores in the afternoon. We tried everything in the last game. We ball switched and maybe we could have made a lineup switch, but we went with what we had seen all year. "We just couldn't get out of it. They are kids and once they struggled the pressure got to us. But we have great kids. I've been here for four years now and this was the first group I got to see all the way through. We had four great seniors and they are going to be successful in life. We have a good young group, too, and I'm happy for Alex Nolan to still make it through." Nolan, a four-year varsity veteran, finished 25th in the state as a sophomore. But neither he nor the team qualified for the second day at state last season. At the sectional, he led the Knights with a 1,339 total, which included a 299 in the second game. He placed fourth, 68 pins behind sectional champ Chris Bienvenu, a junior from Plainfield Central. Bienvenu (1,407), who fired a 290 in the opener and a 297 in the fourth game, finished 20th as an individual earlier this season at the Southwest Prairie Conference meet. "It was a long day and a grind," Nolan said of the Knights not making it as a team. "It was just a mental game and it happens. "But for me to be going again is awesome. It's the third time for me and I'm throwing the ball well and I hope I can continue that [this] week. To finish All- State would be nice but I'm striving for No. 1. It's my senior year and I want to go out with a bang." Senior Tyler Misch (1,182, high of 225 in Games 1 and 5) and freshman Ryan Marszalek (1,142, high of 221 in Game 4), also bowled all six games for Central. Senior Tommy Martini (1,055, high of 235 in Game 3) bowled the last five games. Senior Austin Zaker (750, high of 224 in Game 5) bowled four games, including the final three, and sophomore Luke Thormeyer (569, high of 208 in Game 2) rolled the first three games for the Knights. Lockport (6,147) qualified for state for the second straight season, the seventh time in the past eight years, and 12th time since the state finals began in the 2002-03 season. Jason Laba, a freshman, rolled Lockport's best score, a 1,313 with a high of 268 in the opener, which placed him 15th overall. The Porters’ two seniors Ray Bufka (1,259, high of 230 in Game 3) and Tim Hoak (1,239, high of 225 in Game 1) also came up big and will return to state for the second straight season.
newlenoxpatriotdaily.com sports the new lenox patriot | January 30, 2020 | 39 fastbreak Boys Basketball LW Central pulls away from West in second half 5 22nd century media file photo 1st and 3 THREE notes on new lenox athletes chasing state titles this weekend 1. LW West boys bowling The Warriors rallied to take the final advancing spot out of the Lockport Sectional and get to state for the fourth straight year. Cameron Jablonski (above) and Ivan Escolar are the senior leaders. 2. Alex Nolan The Lincoln-Way Central senior bowler is competing as an individual and is primed to make a run at a medal after finishing fourth at the sectional. 3. Dance teams LW West - the 2A Normal Sectional champ - LW Central and Providence all qualified for state. SEAN HASTINGS Editor With strong shooters all around the floor, Lincoln- Way Central can be tough to stop. Junior Matt Maloney had the hot hand early on Friday, Jan. 24, scoring all 15 of his points by early in the second quarter. He hit 3-pointer after 3-pointer and eventually quieted down, but the start he helped give the Knights paid off in the long run against crosstown rival Lincoln-Way West. “We’re one of those teams if you’re going to help on [Sean Curran’s] drive, there’s going to be somebody open,” Central coach Bob Curran said. “Each team has been picking different guys and it seemed like they were leaving Matt open, so he stepped up and knocked them down.” After leading by just six at halftime, the Knights pulled away for a 62-40 road win over the Warriors in a SouthWest Suburban Red game. In any Central versus West game, there is an extra intensity in the crowd. The student sections chant at each other and the players feed off of it. After Maloney hit his fourth 3-pointer, making it 16-4, the Knight student section erupted, and Maloney gave his classmates a Lincoln-Way Central’s Nick Tingley works around a pair of Lincoln-Way West defenders Friday, Jan. 24. Tingley scored nine points in the Knights’ 62-40 win at West. SEAN HASTINGS/22ND CENTURY MEDIA confident shoulder shrug as he ran back on defense. “It was a good confidence booster and it really elevated our game in the first quarter,” he said. “I feel like once I started hitting some shots, everyone else started hitting shots and we just got going. “I just love to compete, and they left me open, so I just let it go. That’s just the competitive spirit in me to get our guys pumped up.” It seemed as if West would keep the game close. But an issue that has been bothering the Warriors (2-15, 0-2) for much of the season, and again in the loss to the Knights (14- 6, 2-0), is the bright spots have just come in spurts. To end the first and second quarters, junior Jacob Vassalla (13 points) hit two 3-point buzzer beaters. The first made it an eightpoint game and the second put the Warriors within six heading into halftime. But throughout the game, West had too many multiple-minute runs where nothing was falling for it. “There was a point in the second quarter where the ball moved nice, we took some time off the clock, the ball saw both sides of the floor, we were able to get the ball inside and they weren’t able to help because we were able to shift [Central],” West coach Brian Flaherty said. “We were able to drive to the basket and get fouled. That’s all stuff that we talk about wanting to do against this team.” Flaherty added that in the second half, where the Knights nearly doubled the Warriors’ scoring, West got away from what kind of team it is. The Warriors became a 3-point shooting team and a 1-on-1 team, which they’re not, and the results showed, he said. The Knights’ big second half started with junior Nick Tingley, who scored the first seven points of the third. He finished with nine points. Just as Flaherty credited the Knights for their strong play, Curran said the same about the Warriors. Curran admitted he did not like the score at halftime and told the team that they need to get back to playing better on the defensive end. And the team did just that. West’s next leading scorer was Owen Wolcott, a junior guard, who scored 10. And the Warriors were not able to get junior Connor Jenkins or Andrew Pyles scoring opportunities as the Knights locked them down. But the good thing about Jenkins and Vassalla is they are only juniors with a high ceiling. “You’re going to have good games and bad games,” Flaherty said. “There’s a lot of learning that is going on with those couple guys. But I would say, three out of the last five or four out of the last six, we’ve been making strides. Then you come into a game like this and you break away from what you’re doing … It’s difficult to see those guys struggle offensively.” Super Tuesday Both teams were coming off wins on Jan. 21. West picked up its second victory of the season by beating Reavis 57-48 at home. The Knights edged T.F. South 37-35 on the road. Sean Curran scored 16 points and Tingley had 10. LISTEN UP “It’s my fourth year in a row going to state and I’m speechless.” Cameron Jablonski – LW West bowler, on the Warriors rallying at the Lockport Sectional to advance to state once again Tune In Dance, Friday, Jan. 31 and Saturday, Feb. 1 IHSA State Finals at Grossinger Motors Arena, Bloomington • LW Central, LW West, Providence and LW East will all compete at the state meet. Index 36 – This Week In 34 – Athlete of the Week FASTBREAK is compiled by Sports Editor Steve Millar at s.millar@22ndcm.com.
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