Girls Bowling: Downers South makes it three in a row

The only time Downers South took the lead at Hinsdale South’s Head Pin tournament Monday was the last time.

The West Suburban Conference champions came from behind to pass front-running Leyden in the sixth game to win the tournament title for the third consecutive year. Downers South now owns five tournament titles in the eight-year history of the Head Pin tournament, which is an unofficial conference tournament to end the regular season at Willowbrook Lanes.

The Mustangs (5,680) already wrapped up the conference championship by winning all eight of their dual meets this season. The Head Pin tournament does not count toward the conference championship, but includes all nine teams from the West Suburban.

“Overall, [the lanes] were dry. Today epitomized our whole season,” DGS coach Bob Topor said. “We were consistent the whole tournament. There were no major adjustments. We took care of our one-pin spares.”

DGS was led by Audrey McCalebb (1,199 pins), who finished second to Addison Trail’s Megan Smelter (1,204) for the individual championship. Smelter was ninth after three games, but moved up with a tournament-high 633 in her second series. Her series ranked third among the tournament’s highest series scores. It was Smelter’s first major title of the season entering the sectional Saturday.

“I stayed loose and had fun. That was my game plan,” Smelter said. “That relieved all of the pressure.”

Smelter tied for the second highest score in tournament history with Bobbie Skendadore of Morton from 2010. Downers North’s Tegan Clinton won last year’s title with a record-setting 1,206. Smelter rolled a 232 in the fourth round for her top high-game score.

Leyden (5,610) led DGS by 116 pins entering the sixth game, but the Mustangs outrolled Leyden 964-815 in Game 6. Through three games, Leyden held the touramment lead over Hinsdale South and Downers South.

“In the sixth game, on lanes this dry, we started and then kept on missing,” Leyden coach Chris Aylward said.

Downers South and Hinsdale South return to Willowbrook Lanes for the sectional Saturday. Topor has decided not to practice this week at Willowbrook, but the Mustangs are among the favorites to win the sectional title.

“I want Saturday to feel like another tournament,” Topor said. “We’ll treat it as such. During the regular season, we do not practice at other [sites] before tournaments.”

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