TRACI WARREN OPEN

champs BJ Baker & Pamela Perez

    BJ Baker caught a great break, while Pamela Perez stopped the man getting every break in the book, in thrilling Arizona Conference action at the JBT Traci Warren Memorial Open, hosted by AMF Deer Valley.

    Randy Cote, enjoying his best JBT season, opened the scratch stepladder finals with a 202-183 win over Greg Garbera.  In a very high scoring match for the day’s challenging lane conditions, Eric Rubin then struck in the tenth for a 260-247 decision over the crestfallen Cote.  Eric rode that momentum to a 213-176 semifinal win over Mike Cross to reach the title match.

    Top seed Baker hadn’t needed any luck in qualifying, putting on one of the most dominant performances of his amazing JBT career, going +354 for his 8 games on a day with a –85 cut, and when second place checked in at +157.  However, the title match turned into a corner-pin contest between BJ and the confident Rubin.  When BJ unexpectedly whiffed a 6-10 spare in the ninth, it looked like Eric would snatch away the win.  However, needing any mark in the tenth, Rubin left a 4-7-10 which he couldn’t convert, and the stunned Baker claimed his 26^th career JBT title.  The win ALREADY puts him over the top of the single-season earnings list with nearly $10,000, with over half the season and most of our big prize fund events yet to come!

    Daniel Cotten opened up round one of the handicap stepladder finals with a 205, which beat Kolt Downey’s 180 but still had him packing his bags, as Amanda Ailport needed only 8 pins in her tenth to advance.  To the crowd’s shock, though, she ended with 7-out, finishing at 204 and giving Daniel the win.

    Daniel then put on a clinic on how one break can balloon into a huge run, firing 259 in round two and needing most of it to beat Shawn Peters (251) and Shannon Ryan (195).  Cotten again needed most every bit of his semifinal effort, as his 250 stood up against Kayla Goad (234) and Benjamin Meils (200). 

      Top seed Pamela Perez, leading a JBT event for the first time, had to wonder if she’d have any chance against the roll Daniel was on, but those worries were put to rest as she put on a clinic herself.  Despite yet another great game from Cotten, Pamela came up with a late four-bagger for her best game of the day, a 214 scratch effort, resulting in a 275-259 win and her first career JBT title.

      We are proud yet saddened to name this JBT event each year in honor of Traci Warren, who we lost in an auto accident.  We miss Traci and remind everyone to be very careful at all times when they’re traveling around to all this JBT fun, and everywhere else as well.

    Huge thanks to Peggy Cianciola for making this another one of our favorite stops every year- Peggy does so much for bowling, and youth bowling specifically, and our Tour- she rocks!

      Over $2,300 was awarded at the event- want in on the fun?  Come on down to the next JBT event, it’s as simple as that!