BEST IN THE WEST

champs Travis Zehntner & Kayla Endicott

        Travis Zehntner and Kayla Endicott picked up JBT major titles as champions of the 2009 Best In The West tournament, hosted by Brunswick Zone Mesa.

        The most unique tournament in junior bowling has bowlers compete in 'eliminator' matches for eight straight hours on day one, earning points based on how long they last, with their standing in the event solely determined by those points.  It took 14 points in scratch and 11 points in handicap to qualify for day two, but the cut number was far from the day one leaders, who were Kyle King (37) and Gillian Coyle (45).  Both bowlers had equally solid day twos (each on different lane conditions from day one) to maintain their lead into the six-person finals.  Scratch bowlers were tested on the PBA shark and chameleon conditions.  Handicap rolled on chameleon and house, producing a top 6 that included the 2nd and 3rd highest handicaps, as well as the 2nd and 3rd lowest handicaps, again supporting our 'any average can win' slogan.

        In round one of the scratch finals, four bowlers competed for two semifinal spots.  In that match, #3 seed James Hawkins was the runaway leader with 235, while Chris McHenry's 183 was just enough to edge Preston Fukumizu (172) and Rebeca Reguero (171) and advance.  King and #2 seed Zehntner then joined Chris and James in the semifinal, again for two spots.  Kyle and Travis showed exactly why they were the top seeds, firing 267 and 256 respectively on the brutal Shark lane condition to eliminate McHenry (203) and Hawkins (182), setting up a 1 vs. 2 title match.

       The final game was more consistent with the day's grindout scoring pace.  In the end, needing an 18 fill to win, Zehntner struck on his first shot in the tenth to lock up the 212-193 win, his first JBT major title, and a big $500 scholarship payday.

        Endicott's route the title was a completely different experience.  Well out of the top 6 with two matchplay rounds to go, she won all six games in those rounds (including a 1-pin win on the last game), gaining a 30-point boost that earned her the 6th seed by just one point.  She continued living on the edge in round one of the finals, converting a tenth frame must-spare 3-6-10 for a 223 that advanced along with Brooks Gould's 221.  Eliminated in a tie for 5th that round were Jenny Phandanouvong (212) and Steven Cheatham (215).

        The semifinal round was equally well bowled by all 4 finalists.  Endicott led the way again with 224, and #2 seed Jared Boscarino also advanced to the finals with a 213.  Brooks Gould was ousted with a 203, good for his third 4th place finish in this event.  Top seed Coyle was also eliminated with a 202, but what a great effort from the 10 year-old, who dominated the event to that point (bowling 24 games in the process!).

        The title match between Endicott and Boscarino was all Kayla, as she nearly fired a 200 scratch game en route to a 236-201 win over Boscarino.  Endicott earned a $500 scholarship for her first JBT title, while the veteran Boscarino pocketed $250 for his career-best JBT finish.

        Over $3,000 in scholarships were awarded to JBT bowlers of all ages and averages.  Thanks to the whole crew at BRC Zone Mesa for another flawless job hosting this great event.  Want in on all this fun?  Check out our schedule and come on out to the next JBT event; it really is that simple!