CERBAT LANES

champs Kyle King & Aaron Watkins

        Kyle King won perhaps the most dramatic of his 35 career JBT titles, while Aaron Watkins ended a long search for title #1, in exciting JBT action at Kingman's Cerbat Lanes.

        Zach Simon opened the tournament in fine style with a perfect 300 game, the second of his JBT career.  It helped him to the #4 seed for the stepladder finals, which he defended with a 218-214 win over Dan Hansen in round one.  Greg Geering then defeated Simon 237-189, before Tristan Curtis buzzed his way to a 237-215 win over Geering to reach the title match.

        Top seed Kyle King avenged just missing the Main Event finals by leading the tournament here, but would have his hands full against Curtis, a Washington JBT bowler who seems to be even tougher when bowling out of the Pac NW Conference.  The Kegel Route 66 pattern had opened up throughout the day, and the finalists thrilled the crowd by each starting out with the first seven strikes.  Kyle blinked first, leaving a 4-pin in the eighth, while Curtis ran his string to the front nine.  King, finishing first, went double-nine-spare for 268, meaning Tristan needed any mark to win, and three strikes for JBT history- only one bowler has ever rolled 300 in a JBT title match (do you know who?).   A good shot from Curtis left a 10-pin, which he heartbreakingly just missed on the spare attempt, giving a stunned King the unexpected 268-267 win and the victory.

    Top point scorers from three JBT conferences squared off in the handicap fianls.  In a battle of Arizona Conference stars, Travis Johnson won round one with a 205-186 win over Kayla Goad.   So Cal (and all-conference) star Randi Speiler then defeated Johnson 208-179.  Mojave star Aaron Watkins then beat Speiler 235-215 to reach the title match.  

    Top seed Rane Lacona took over the event in the semifinals with some big scores, and the long-time JBT veteran would have loved to add another title to his JBT resume.  However, Watkins, who has been heartbreakingly close to JBT victory, especially recently, was determined to break through for a title.  Lacona had some flat-out rotten carry in the match, and Aaron was able to capitalize with a 225-183 win and his first career JBT victory.

    Allie Ijams, the defending All-Conference female Bowler of the Year, greatly helped her campaign to defend that honor by capturing the JBT Women's Series event also held.  She defeated Courtney Dutton in the title match 192-183 for the win, her first women's series victory of the year.

    Thanks as always to Ed Lavallee and the great staff at Cerbat for a wonderful hosting job at this traditional year-end event.  Over $2,000 in scholarships were awarded to bowlers age 22& under of all skill levels- want in on the fun?  Check out our schedule page and come on down to a JBT event soon- it's really that simple!

A thrilling and/or heartbreaking way to end the year - wow:

(Matt Jones was the 300 title match bowler, in 1999 at AMF Tempe Village)