Schiraldi picks up spare, title: Clinches it for Smithtown/KP; Hines: 1,458 total
Boell, John. Newsday, Combined editions; Long Island, N.Y. [Long Island, N.Y]. 09 Feb 2020:
Lauren Schiraldi didn’t know that she and her teammates from the combined Smithtown/Kings Park team were moments away from winning its first-ever Suffolk County girls bowling team championship.
The Smithtown East senior still had one last throw, a spare attempt. Schiraldi, who had been clutch all season and throughout Saturday afternoon, picked up the spare to seal the victory.
“I didn’t realize we won,” Schiradli said. “It wasn’t until I turned around and saw coach [Glenn Roper] smile that I knew we did. It was awesome.”
Then the entire team, including Roper, engulfed Schiraldi and formed a circle with arms interlocked to celebrate the title at Bowlero Sayville.
Smithtown/Kings Park (SKP) totaled 6,240 pins in six games and will represent Suffolk at the state championships March 13-15 in Syracuse. Sachem was second (6,040) and 2019 champ East Islip placed third (6,033).
The Suffolk All-Star team also was determined and includes Canan Bademci (Patchogue-Medford), Rachel Hines (Longwood), Amanda Naujokas (Sachem), Kailyn Bloch (East Islip), Jenna Lehrer (Commack), and Anna Polcini (Connetquot).
Hines had an incredible day with a series-high 1,458, including a 297 in Game 1 and 299 in Game 6.
“It really means a lot to me,” Hines said. “I started really strong, and I’m very proud I was able to keep my momentum.”
Interestingly, it was not Smithtown/Kings Park which had the momentum early. Longwood (1,085) and East Islip (1,059) jumped ahead of SKP (1,016) after the opening game.
But SKP took the team lead after a 1,043 in Game 2, and a 1,086 in Game 3 kept it in front after the morning session with a 3,184. East Islip trailed in second place by 157 pins.
In Game 4, SKP and East Islip bowled side-by-side on lanes 7, 8, 9 & 10. There was no hiding between the two powerful programs. SKP rolled a 1,050 in the critical fourth game, and East Islip countered with a 1,038 as the lead increased to 169.
“I knew Game 4 would be important,” Roper said. “Nobody gained any ground on us.”
That’s because it was a complete team effort from the victorious side. Smithtown East junior Kim Brandt led the way with a 1,296 series. The rest of the squad included Kings Park junior Kendal Eggert (1,287), Kings Park senior Isabella Cain (1,274), Schiraldi (1,265), Smithtown West junior Nicole Trippodi (1,071), and Smithtown East freshman Kasey Whelan (1,020).
“Our goal was to make it to [the state championships], and I didn’t know if we could do it,” Cain said. “But we came to bowl, and we outbowled East Islip [and Sachem] and now we’re going to states.”
This weekend, the boys and girls bowling teams will compete at the Section XI – Suffolk County Athletics Championships on Saturday, February 8, at Sayville Bowl at 9:00 am. Congratulations to the team on another excellent season!
Additionally, juniors Rachel Hines and Colin Michels earned top spots on the Section XI All-Star teams and will compete at the New York State Championship in Syracuse in March!
Rachel finished up the season in the number two spot in Suffolk County with a 221.1667 average, and Colin finished an outstanding third with a 223.6341 average. Way to go Rachel and Colin