SKIDZ FAMILY ENTERTAINMENT

champs Trey Sledge & Doug Griffith

        Trey Sledge and Doug Griffith celebrated the first event of the 2014-15 JBT NM-TX Conference season by each winning their first JBT titles, in exciting action at Albuquerque's Skidz Family Entertainment.

        WT bowler and JBT newcomer Casey Snow opened the scratch division stepladder finals with a 216-188 win over Josh Helmick.  Snow then got past fellow WT teammate Joey Mogavero 225-186.  In the semifinals, Sledge stopped Snow 236-202 to advance to the title match.

        Sledge made his mark on Tour with back to back runner-up finishes at his home center last season.  To avoid the unfortunate three-peat he'd have to get past always tough Danny Cobine, who emerged from a six-way battle for the top seed with a big last game.  However, Danny struggled in the title game, and Sledge took immediate advantage, opening with a turkey and eventually coasting to a 211-180 win, capturing the first title of his JBT career.

        Griffith began the handicap division stepladder finals with a 240-172 over yet another newcomer, Amarillo's Blayne Hurst.  Griffith then rolled the high handicap game of the day in a 283-242 win over Rodrigo De La O.  Doug stayed hot in the semifinals, getting by Vanessa Romero 237-208 to advance to the title game.

        Top seed Nicole Pinge battled with De La O for much of the day for the #1 position, eventually wrapping it up the last two games.  Griffith, meanwhile, had been hot in final rounds before only to cool off in the championship games.  That wasn't the case this time though, as Doug stayed in control the whole title game, eventually winning 214-199 for the first title of his JBT career.

        Sara Vargas picked up right where she left off last season, defeating Vanessa Romero in a strike filled contest, 258-222, to win the day's Women's Series event.

        Thanks as always to the great crew at SkidZ for hosting our Tour.  We're just getting started in a great new season- you should be a part of it to!  Check out our schedule and come on down, that's all you have to do!