Holiday Bowl

champs Paul Carper & Sophie Diaz

    Two JBT veterans put on dominant performances to capture long awaited titles in exciting NM-TX Conference action at Holiday Bowl.

    A challenging condition tested the bowlers all day long, with a 180 average more than enough to make the semifinals in scratch.  The opening match of the semifinals was typical of that pace, with Tim Crites sneaking past Jacob Wright 158-148.  Previous day's champion William Entsminger then beat Crites 225-175, and followed with a 206-186 win over first time scratch finalist Chris Brown to reach the title match.

    The previous two weekends had the same bowler winning back to back titles in scratch (Tyler Cruz in Washington, Zach Martinez in Arizona), but to make it a three-peat, he'd have to get past top seed Carper, who led the tournament wire-to-wire, and was the only player to average over 200 in qualifying.  Paul was in control of the title match, but the hard-charging Entsminger clawed his way back in it with late strikes.  After Carper finished at 234, William had the chance to double to win, but when his first shot didn't strike, a relieved Paul claimed his first career scratch title, third of his season, and first since the 2003 Invitational- now that's a long-awaited win!

    JBT newcomer Bradley Harvey opened the handicap division stepladder with a 193-176 win over Joseph Trujillo, setting up the always interesting situation of playing his twin brother and fellow newcomer Zachary in round two.  This time, Zachary won the match 211-185, and he rode that momentum to a 205-176 win over Brittany Leiby to advance to the title match.

    Top seed Sophie Diaz had led the event since the second game, and was looking to avenge some title match losses when she'd been in the same situation, most recently at Big Rock last season.  Sophie remained in control the entire match, but a tenth frame open did give Harvey an opportunity to strike out in the tenth to tie.  This was a nearly impossible task for anybody on the tough conditions laid out today, and when Zach was unable to pull off the miracle, Diaz had a 214-193 win and the 4th title of her excellent JBT career, while the Harvey family wrapped up an impressive debut with Zachary's runner-up finish.

    Thanks to everyone at Holiday for another great job hosting our Tour.  Over $1,200 in scholarships were awarded to bowlers of all averages age 21 and under- want in on the fun?  Check out our schedule and come on down!