Golden Pin Lanes

champs Labriel Leach & Marina Stever

        Labriel Leach and Marina Stever each captured important titles in exciting JBT Arizona Conference action at the world famous Golden Pin Lanes in Tucson.

        Leach put on perhaps his best JBT performance to climb the ladder for his 9th career JBT title.  He began with a 217-192 win over the quickly improving Derek Acuff.  Leach then fired an 11-strike performance in a 279-144 win over defending champ Joe Lewandowski.  In a thrilling semifinal, Labriel got by Mark Curtis 237-233 to reach the finale. 

        Top seed Kyle King made the PBA cheetah pattern look very tame en route to the top seed, but Leach, on his favorite pattern, was riding all the momentum.  He earned his "Iceman: nickname by being constantly cold, but he's also developed icewater in his veins over the last year, where he's done most of his scratch division damage.  Needing a mark in the tenth to win, Leach calmly converted a 4-pin for a 246-244 win and the impressive victory.

        AJ Estes opened the handicap division stepladder finals with a 208-190 win over Alexis Atkin, who was making her second finals in six days.  Estes then fired a 200+ scratch game in a 265-210 win over Derek Iozzio.  The semifinals was a thriller, as Estes' 10th frame 10-pin miss helped give Nick Skalicky a 205-201 triumph to reach his first career title game.

        Top seed Marina Stever has long been one of the best and most dedicated JBT bowlers who despite many close calls had yet to break into the winner's circle.  This time, however, she left no doubt, leading the event since game four, and being in complete control in the title match, wining 225-193 for a heartwarming first career title.

        If that wasn't enough for Marina, she also defeated top seed Brittany Kolatzny 246-201 for the JBT Women's Series title, earning a $50 scholarship courtesy of Impact Bowling, and giving her a shot at a $500 bonus at the Girls Invitational in summer 2011. 

        Thanks as always to the crew at Golden Pin for a great job hosting us.  Want in on the over $1,500 in scholarships awarded today alone?  Come on out to the next JBT event, it's as simple as that!