Teams from the North had another up-and-down day at Carolier Lanes, but TM observed something positive out of everybody — so, purely for organizational purposes, the NJBB will "count up" the list of finishers and cap it all off with a look at this year's four Group champs (Bordentown, Manchester Township, Brick Township and South Brunswick), plus give our annual breakdown of the Tournament of Champions finals and the new No. 1 team in the State (even though TM tweeted who won, he's going to keep up the pretend-suspense until the end).
There was a new twist for the girls team tournament this year: instead of bowling 3 traditional games, they did 2 traditional games, followed by 5 Baker games that were used to make up the "Game 3" total. The Baker concept seems to be getting more popular — the state has used it for the girls ToC in recent years, and it has become a staple of the Bergen County tournament as well. The reaction sensed by TM was lukewarm (some expressed no preference for either format) but generally positive. Speaking of which, the NJBB will both follow the same format as last year and keep it positive. Away we go...
Good news for Clifton (6th in Group 4, 2,058): Not that it was good news at the time, but the Mustangs were missing two starters who were away on a band trip in Canada (non-Olympic related, from what TM was told). To me, that means Clifton can be even better than it got the chance to show, and darned if they won't have a chance to show it next year when their entire lineup returns, led by the sound 4-5 combo of juniors Kortney Casperino (177–338) and Sonja Shirak (191–369). In fact, both of those girls will be back at Carolier on Wednesday for the State singles finals, so perhaps the Mustangs aren't done showing what they can do this year. They certainly earned every right to feel good about themselves after toppling the IHA dynasty at sectionals, lest we forget. And, Miss Shirak was kind enough to share a few words with The Messenger, which will air on the annual WGHT Sports Overtime bowling extravaganza, Tuesday Feb. 23 at 2:30 p.m. (tune in 1500 AM on radio, or click "listen live" at ghtradio.com on the computer. End shameless plug.)
Good news for Bergenfield (6th in Group 3, 2,067): The Bears are one of those teams that aren't in the coverage area of any of TM's newspapers or radio stations, but the NJBB will include them because A) they're consistently one of the top programs in the North section, and B) they have been quite gracious and helpful as host team for the sectional tournaments — I believe good coaching is to credit for that. Monday wasn't the best of days for Bergenfield, but TM did get a chance to watch the Schelzo sisters, Melissa and Nicole, go at it on the lanes (as opposed to at the Bowler City scorer's table. Ahem). And while we're on the subject of sibling rivalry, it was nice to see the passers of the Esmenda-Fiore torch (BHS grads Ralph and Jesse) turn out to support the current carriers of said torch (Sarah and Cassidy), one of whom rolled the Bears' high game (a 178 by Miss Esmenda). And, silver lining again, both Sarah and Cassidy earned a return trip to Carolier for Wednesday's individual finals, which affords them the opportunity to win more shiny things.
Good news for High Tech (6th in Group 1, 2,170): I'm gonna be honest — there is never any bad news when your nickname is the Lasercats. Anchor Erika Nedwell (202–389) had a nice day, Becky Egizi (162-162–324) had an almost-eerily consistent day, and Liz Gould (151 high game) continued to lead the cutting-edge hair color trend by rocking Laser Purple (She added some sweet color-coordinated socks to the ensemble as well). It seemed like High Tech was better suited to the traditional games, as the team was solidly in fifth after 2 rounds but faltered in the Baker games. Yet I still say that their chief Hudson County rivals — County Prep and Holy Family, who finished less than 20 pins behind HT at sectionals — would have traded places in a heartbeat, so the 'Cats have the local-bragging-rights thing going for them, which is nice.
Good news for DePaul (4th in Group 2, 2,356): True, the Spartans didn't finish as well as they would have hoped, but look at it this way — their girls team didn't even exist last year! Plus, the Colette Malyack (188–363) era has barely reached the halfway point (the sophomore sensation will be there Wednesday with teammates Rebecca Dykstra and Rebecca Nemeh), and both Dykstra (186–368), a junior, and freshman Isabelle Nemeh will return next year. Did we mention they'll be featured on the annual WGHT Sports Overtime bowling extravaganza coming up next Tuesday? Miss Malyack and seniors Lorena Faisca, Kate Behrens and Rebecca Nemeh were all good enough to chat with TM, so you get to hear from them on the 23rd. Finally, didn't DePaul win some sort of other titles and shatter the stereotype that first-year teams always struggle? You know, Passaic County champs, NJTCC-Passaic Division champs, North Group 2 champs... those should make the Spartans smile.
Good news for Holy Angels (3rd in Group 2, 2,397): The Angels were one of two North schools to hang around the top 3 of their bracket for most of the day — granted, they got stuck in the bracket with defending ToC champ Manchester Township (2,948) and a real strong Ewing (2,575) team, but to TM, that makes third an even more respectable accomplishment; especially when you consider the 1-2 finishers in the group had far more experienced upperclassmen. Morgan Buckey (199–383) showed why coach Patrick Dunne made her the anchor as a freshman, while sophomore Tammy Wong (191–338) and junior Maura Oates (176–334) provided glimpses of more good things to come down the road for the Angels.
Good news for Hackensack (4th in Group 3, 2,413): The North's struggles at Carolier are starting to seem almost inevitable, but in the past couple of years, the Comets have been a team that has tended toward bucking the trend, at least early in the Statefinals. Once again, they started off strong with an 842 in Game 1, pushing North Brunswick (870) for second place. And they appeared as relaxed as any team, sporting bandanna headbands and making enough noise to stay within earshot of the Brick Township and North Brunswick crowds. If you compare Monday's scores with the Comets' league averages, Rachel Healy (190–362), Stacie Harewood (189–350), Korey Kozaryn (183–344) and Jaclyn Draney (167–304) all shot above their norms. Having thrown Baker games in the County tournament also seemed to help Hackensack, which had the best "Game 3" total (785) of all the local public schools.
Good news for Immaculate Heart (3rd in Group 4, 2,584): If only the Blue Eagles could throw out that first game! To their credit, they bounced back from a 763 with much more IHA-like scores of 915 and 906, and we know they have experience in Baker games (see: Bergen County tournament), so their "Game 3" effort came as no surprise. It does seem like anchor Nicole Linder (216-202–418) has been around for quite some time, but she is only a junior and has another season (plus the State singles finals) to improve upon an already outstanding average, which was up to 212 in league play this year. Junior Colleen Blake (203–386) made her second straight appearance in the team finals and, knowing IHA, it likely won't be her last. Seniors Hanna DiFresco, Sara Hroncic and Murphy McVeigh (180) each got to bowl one final game, and even though it wasn't reflected in Monday's series (289), sophomore Taylor Strothmann is going to be a good one. All in all, the Blue Eagles may have had the most ironic finish of any team at Carolier — they were fifth in Group 4 with a senior-laden roster last year, and with a squad that began this season as quote-unquote "inexperienced," they scored 13 pins higher this time around. Again, interpret that as you will based on the tournament's format change, but TM must say that's fairly noteworthy.
There was only one team to come out of the North section that The Messenger did not get to witness extensively, but that's okay — they'll get a mention, along with several other notes and nuggets, as we drift toward the big finish on:
The Stream of Consciousness... Maybe it's because they bowl in a league with basically all Central Jersey teams, but TM doesn't get to see much of Mother Seton Regional. He still loves the nickname (Setters) and still noted that they were right in the mix in Group 1 after the first game, when the top four were separated by just 34 points... Keyport came in as the defending Group 1 champ and got a great outing from junior anchor Alexa Guirk (215-204–419), but the wheels sort of came off in Game 2, when the Red Raiders managed just 711 as a team. They bounced back with an 888 Baker showing, but it wasn't quite enough... Cardinal McCarrick had the best Baker score (907) in Group 1, but even they couldn't keep pace with the champs, who we will spotlight shortly. Duly noted: the Eagles' Nicole Baginsky (244) earned the award for third-high game... Ewing bumped up from Group 1 to 2 this year and was right there with Manchester Township after Game 1, but the Hawks were just too much. On top of that, their name was originally read over the PA as "EE-wing," instead of the proper pronunciation, "YOU-wing." The Blue Devils did get a nice effort from senior Tara Elonis (230–420), who reportedly has a scholarship to bowl at St. Peter's (a report made public by her family, so I'm thinking it's probably true).
AND FINALLY... our salute to the champions of the 2010 girls State tournament. After a 6-pin loss to Keyport last season, Bordentown came back with a vengeance and held off McCarrick to win Group 1, 2,593 to 2,577. Jessica Gareis (202–369) and senior anchor Brittany Havens (217–401) each rolled a deuce, but The Messenger was perhaps most impressed with one of the Scotties' reserves.
As the No. 4 seed for the ToC, Bordentown was matched up against No. 1 South Brunswick and fell behind 2-0 in the semifinals, dropping a pair of very close Baker games (167-158 and 156-149). For game three, Scotties coach Ron Jones called upon junior Felicia Markley to step in cold, and she came through with a pair of strikes in the next two games, which Bordentown won, 167-149 and 181-157. Game 5 of the semifinals was dead even through the first four frames before South Brunswick unleashed a turkey, and a couple of late opens (including a difficult 3-6-7 split) signaled the end of the Scotties' run. Still, Miss Markley gets the Manny Mota Pinch-Hit Award and — wait, what's that? — oh, gracious me, The Messenger almost forgot to mention that she's a lefty! Her impending inclusion on the 2nd annual Parker Bohn III All-Stars is now the worst-kept secret on the NJBB.
THIRD RUNNER-UP: The Green Dragons of Brick Township (2,980), who for the second year in a row captured the Group 3 championship AND earned the No. 2 seed for the ToC AND ran into arch-rival Manchester. There were precisely five 1,000-plus games shot at Carolier on Monday, and Brick had two of them, including a 1,027 that they compiled in the morning five-game Baker total. Freshman left-hander Sydney Scelfo (258–458) walked away with the high game award and a sure spot on the Parker Bohn III All-Stars (okay, two worst-kept secrets), and none of the Dragons averaged below 166 on the day: Ashley Lane (216–404), Katarina Kiseli (202–381), Kaitlynn Nardiello (192–377) and Emily Robertson (172–333) kept Brick on top of Group 3 wire-to-wire, also combining for Baker games of 206, 214 and 234.
In the ToC semifinals, the Green Dragons jumped out to a lead in Game 1 before Manchester came roaring back with a 4-bagger (hambone!) to win it, 207-203. After the Hawks took Game 2, 180-158, Brick held a 105-102 lead in the 6th frame of Game 3 before another 4-bagger propelled Manchester to the sweep, 209-205, although Lane kept the pressure on by striking out in the 10th — always good to see from your senior anchor.
SECOND RUNNER-UP: Talk about announcing one's presence with authority — seeing Ewing in the rear-view mirror after Game 2, Manchester Township fired a 1,013 and pulled away to win its second straight Group 2 crown. The Hawks also Baked up games of 200, 210 and 223 in the morning. Sophomore Julie Taylor led the charge with a 225-235–460, while lefty Tina Shahinian (197–368; I'm just gonna use PB3* from now on), junior Amanda DeMauro (192–384) and seniors Taylor Olsen (216–403) and Chloe Krumeich (199–371) all impressed.
Perhaps their most impressive feat, however, came in the opener of the ToC championship round: 7-spare, five straight strikes, 6-spare, five straight strikes for a 266-179 win over South Brunswick. (A 266 in a Baker game? TM's brain does not compute!) The two teams were tied at 68 through 4 frames of Game 2 before the Vikings marked the rest of the way... Manchester then opened Game 3 with a hambone before hitting a bump known as the 8-10 split, and a couple of 8th-frame opens in the final two games clipped the Hawks' wings. Still, what a fantastic run by coach Mike McCrae's crew — they've been a great deal of fun for The Messenger to watch over the past two ToC's, and they take home some lovely parting gifts, too: Ocean County tournament, Shore Conference tournament, Southern Ocean A Division, South Jersey Group 2 and State Group 2 championship trophies.
HAIL TO THE CHAMPS: they would be seniors Kayleigh Kimberlin, Carly Kohutanycz and Jackie Sutton, junior southpaw Ally Zimmitti (PB3*) and sophomore Justine Bleacher of the South Brunswick Vikings, winners of Group 4 and the ToC, as well as purveyors of the following achievements in the State finals: highest overall score (2,988), highest single-game score (1,053), second-highest five-game Baker score (1,008) and second-high game award (for Bleacher's 256). Incidentally, Kimberlin is one of a handful of bowlers who can lay claim to both State individual (2009) and team (2010) championships; she rolled a 223–421 in the morning.
To TM, the Vikings displayed the mark of a true champion, as evidenced by their ToC results: after Bordentown came back to tie the semifinals, 2-2, and had Game 5 tied, 48-all — from that moment on, South Brunswick strung together all marks (except for a 9 on the 12th ball), four of which were strikes, to ice the series. Again, in the title round, after Manchester had taken the 1st game by 87 pins and had Game 2 tied, 68-all — from that moment on, over the course of two-plus games, the Vikings left precisely 2 pins standing, and again, both of those came on a 12th ball after the outcome had been decided. SB took the final three of the championship series, 206-171, 232-212 and 219-198, posting clean frames essentially the entire way. Just for good measure, Sutton the anchor picked up a 5-10 split in the 10th frame of the decisive Game 4, then blasted the Vikes' 19th strike in a 3-game span. After it was all over, ninth-year SB coach Tara Burniston told The Messenger, "This is the best team I've ever had."
THOSE my friends, are the "marks" of a true champion.
(Sorry, couldn't sign off without at least 1 more nonsensical pun. TM just has too much fun at this job...)
NJSIAA Girls State Team Tournament scores
| GRP 4 | SCHOOL | GAME 1 | GAME 2 | GAME 3 | TOTAL |
| 1st | South Brunswick | 927 | 1053 | 1008 | 2988* |
| 2nd | Brick Memorial | 873 | 896 | 911 | 2680 |
| 3rd | Immaculate Heart | 763 | 915 | 906 | 2584 |
| 4th | Piscataway | 750 | 769 | 917 | 2436 |
| 5th | Washington Twp. | 723 | 725 | 813 | 2261 |
| 6th | Clifton | 667 | 741 | 650 | 2058 |
| GRP 3 | SCHOOL | GAME 1 | GAME 2 | GAME 3 | TOTAL |
| 1st | Brick Township | 924 | 1029 | 1027 | 2980* |
| 2nd | North Brunswick | 870 | 933 | 863 | 2666 |
| 3rd | Colonia | 816 | 877 | 908 | 2601 |
| 4th | Hackensack | 842 | 786 | 785 | 2413 |
| 5th | Central Regional | 746 | 826 | 758 | 2330 |
| 6th | Bergenfield | 712 | 707 | 648 | 2067 |
| GRP 2 | SCHOOL | GAME 1 | GAME 2 | GAME 3 | TOTAL |
| 1st | Manchester Twp. | 973 | 1013 | 962 | 2948* |
| 2nd | Ewing | 915 | 820 | 840 | 2575 |
| 3rd | Holy Angels | 767 | 816 | 814 | 2397 |
| 4th | DePaul | 757 | 797 | 802 | 2356 |
| 5th | Carteret | 662 | 784 | 685 | 2131 |
| 6th | Burlington Township | 643 | 719 | 685 | 2047 |
| GRP 1 | SCHOOL | GAME 1 | GAME 2 | GAME 3 | TOTAL |
| 1st | Bordentown | 853 | 905 | 835 | 2593* |
| 2nd | Cardinal McCarrick | 822 | 848 | 907 | 2577 |
| 3rd | Keyport | 845 | 711 | 888 | 2444 |
| 4th | Mother Seton | 819 | 757 | 704 | 2280 |
| 5th | Bishop Eustace | 718 | 754 | 795 | 2267 |
| 6th | High Tech | 745 | 784 | 641 | 2170 |
*Group champ, advanced to Tournament of Champions
| T of C - SEMIFINALS | BAKER 1 | BAKER 2 | BAKER 3 | BAKER 4 | BAKER 5 | WON | AVG |
| 1) South Brunswick | 167 | 156 | 149 | 157 | 204 | 3 | 166.6 |
| 4) Bordentown | 147 | 139 | 173 | 200 | 157 | 2 | 163.2 |
| 2) Brick Township | 203 | 158 | 205 | - | - | 0 | 188.7 |
| 3) Manchester Twp. | 207 | 180 | 209 | - | - | 3 | 198.7 |
| T of C - FINALS | BAKER 1 | BAKER 2 | BAKER 3 | BAKER 4 | BAKER 5 | WON | AVG |
| 1) South Brunswick | 179 | 206 | 232 | 219 | - | 3 | 219.0 |
| 3) Manchester Twp. | 266 | 171 | 212 | 198 | - | 1 | 193.7 |
Please e-mail any/all corrections to NorthJerseyBRG@gmail.com.
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