Boys Bowling: League crown goes to Lockport

Updated: January 14, 2012 11:04PM

With Lockport, Sandburg and Joliet West all finishing the regular season with 8-2 conference records, Saturday’s SouthWest Suburban Blue meet figured to come down to the wire.

Instead, Lockport put together one of its best performances of the season, taking away most of the drama with big scores in Games 3 through 5 and earning the team title with a six-game total pinfall of 6,214 to Sandburg’s 6,087 at AMF Lanes in Bolingbrook.

“We missed some easy spares in the second game,” Lockport coach Jeff Wyatt said. “We talked about it and we came out and shot a (tournament best) 1,120 in the third game. We bowled good and probably had one of our strongest days of the year.”

In the race for the overall Blue title, which factors in both the regular season and Saturday’s results, the Porters nipped Sandburg 106 points to 104.

There was more drama in the individual race. Sandburg’s Joey Kopera entered the final game 23 pins behind the Porters’ John Isit, but Kopera put together a 279 game with 11 strikes in the finale to capture the crown.

Kopera finished with 1,435 pins to Isit’s 1,380.

Lockport’s Brian Hodolitz (3rd, 1,314), Bolingbrook’s Bart Montecinos (5th, 1,281) and Steve Sceerey (7th, 1,274), Joliet West’s Alex Galvan (6th, 1,280) and Lincoln-Way East’s Brandon Nathan (8th, 1,246) also were medalists.

Bolingbrook (5,850) finished third and Joliet West (5,770 fourth).

For Lockport, the title was a big momentum builder heading into next week’s Minooka Sectional, regarded by many as the toughest in the state.

“The guys showed up today,” Isit said. “We got off to a good start and got momentum. Hopefully. we can take this win and keep building.”

In the SouthWest Suburban Red meet won by Andrew (6,257), Lincoln-Way West (5,612) took third and Lincoln-Way Central (5,516) fourth.

Lincoln-Way West’s Nick Mikoff and Central’s Danny Derby earned medals, tying for sixth with 1,201 pins.

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