2008 JBT Main Event Handicap Singles

champ Brenden Lou and runner-up Blake Teragawa

      Brenden Lou saved his best JBT bowling for our biggest stage, capturing the Handicap Singles division of the 2008 JBT Las Vegas Main Event, presented by Ebonite International.

     After 8 games of qualifying and 6 games of matchplay, the field was cut to 16 for our unique bracket-stepladder finals.  In round one, two simultaneous four-player matches were held.  In those games, the top seeds prevailed, as #9 Gregg Kern's 232 beat Mike Lim (216), Justin Sakurai (198), and Robert Fox (184); while #10 Aaron Bristow (269) walloped Alex Tam (215), Brad Hansen (226), and Jeff Goad (179). 

   Kern rolled on in round two, firing 237 to beat Adam Yoshii (209) and Janeyl Carper (199).  Bristow was up to the ladder-climbing challenge as well, blasting a 236 to beat Michael Unger (220) and Andrew Hernandez (173).  In round three, Kern defeated #3 Dillon Bridge 245-209, while #4 Jurene Morales stopped Bristow's run, 261-223.

  The top seeds then took the lanes for the semifinals, and they defended their seeds well, as #2 seed Lou ended Kern's fine run 227-185, while top seed Blake Teragawa and Morales engaged in a high scoring thriller, with Blake edging Jurene 265-250, to set up a 1 vs. 2 title match.

  The title match was a tense, back-and-forth match, as opposed to the high-scoring theatrics these two had put on all weekend.  Both players opened in the ninth frame, but then Lou calmly regrouped and flushed a double, forcing Blake to do the same to win.  After a brooklyn first strike, Teragawa was unable to get the second strike, and Lou had a 210-203 win, and the $2,000 first place scholarship as Main Event champ.

   Big thanks to Jerry Francomano and the whole team at Texas Station for an amazing job hosting the best open-field national tournament in junior bowling.   Thanks also to all our sponsors, including our title sponsor Ebonite, for making Main Event happen.  Over $50,000 in scholarships were awarded to the field- want in on all this fun? Come on out to the 2009 Main Event, it's as simple as that!