The Plum boys and girls bowling teams swept past the competition to win last year’s Saint Vincent College Bearcat Challenge.
The Mustangs were the hunted Jan. 5 in their return to the tournament at Hillview Lanes in Greensburg.
But the bowlers for both Plum teams would not be denied a repeat championship.
The Plum boys topped rival Gateway, 469-454, in their championship match, while the girls took down Norwin in the finals, 448-380.
“The teams had a lot of fun, but it was a challenging (lane) condition,” Plum coach Daryl Pilyih said. “The shot was very difficult, and the scores showed it overall. The scores were pretty low compared to what they average in their regular high school matches.
“I just watched the college girls bowl on the (Hillview Lanes) this past weekend, and it was just as tough for them.”
The Plum boys, the No. 3 seed after the team qualifying rounds, upended No. 2 Hempfield, 448-444, in the first semifinal, while top-seeded Gateway eliminated No. 4 Somerset, 466-451, in the other semifinal.
The Lady Mustangs landed in the top spot after the qualifying rounds and bested No. 4 Hempfield, 460-431, in the semifinals. Norwin, the No. 2 seed, got by No. 3 Mifflinburg, 424-381.
Junior Brian Krall led the Plum boys on the singles side of the tournament with a two-game total of 336 (148, 188). Junior Grayson Koontz bowled games of 152 and 175 for a two-game total of 327.
Sophomore Callie Schimmer found herself among the girls singles tournament leaders. She rolled games of 173 and 165 for a 338 total that placed her fourth overall behind champion Veronica Flanagan from Kiski Area (385), Norwin’s Kali Siegel (364) and Freeport’s Kylie McConahy (346).
Junior Alexandria Fulmer followed Schimmer in eighth with a consistent 159 and 158 for a 317 series.
Junior Addison Then, an all-tournament selection at both the WPIBL and Western Regional championships last year, recorded a 305 series (168, 137), good for third on the team and 14th overall.
“We talked to all the kids beforehand about what the conditions were going to be, and they knew it wasn’t going to be easy,” Pilyih said. “But they went at it with the right approach and right attitude. They were patient and didn’t let one bad roll get to them.
“When they didn’t get a strike when they thought they would, they toughened up and made sure to come back with a better attempt. They were able to grin and bear it. It was really special to see both teams win the team titles.”
Pilyih said the tournament success was a continuation of what has been a strong season so far for the Plum teams.
From the tournament, the Plum girls returned to regular-season play and recorded their top team series of the season — 2,840 pins in a 7-0 victory over Gateway on Jan. 8 at New Great Valley Lanes in North Versailles.
They remained undefeated at 7-0 with 7-0 wins over Franklin Regionals (Jan. 13) and St. Joseph (Jan. 15).
Consistency was the theme against St. Joseph. Addison Then led the way with a 580 series and two of the team’s three 200-plus games (202 and 201).
Freshman Brooklynn Then added a 555 series with the top single game of 215. The Lady Mustangs’ only senior, Bobbie Meli, rolled a 533 series, and Schimmer and Fulmer checked in with 519 and 481 series, respectively.
“We thought at the beginning of the season that we would have a really good girls team, and they have really performed well,” Pilyih said.
“We really didn’t know how Bobbie was going to perform. But the last couple weeks, she has been outstanding. She is our captain this year, and she’s really embraced that role. She’s done everything we’ve asked of her from a leadership standpoint and with her bowling.”
The Plum boys suffered a 5-2 loss to an undefeated and seasoned Gateway team at New Great Valley Lanes. But the Mustangs, currently in second place in the East section at 6-1, bounced back to defeat Franklin Regional, 7-0, and St. Joseph, 7-0.
Plum bowlers recorded five games of 200 or better in the win over St. Joseph.
Senior Cade Schimmer had two of those five with a 206 and a 229 in Games 1 and 2, respectively, to lead the Mustangs with a 588 series.
Others with 200 or better games were Krall (205), senior Vince Rossetti (261) and Byass-Roscoe (214).
“The boys have really shown their versatility and what they’ve been able to do with the number of bowlers they have,” Pilyih said.
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“Coach (Ty) Kirkpatrick has been alternating some of the boys in the lineup to get each the necessary amount of games (at least 21) as they work to reach the necessary average (at least 170) for the WPIBL playoffs. Some of the kids have really stepped up this year.”