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ST. CHARLES – St. Charles North girls bowlers typically treat the party room at St. Charles Bowl as a multipurpose facility.
The North Stars stretch there before home meets and convene with coach Lindsay Madej after competing.
On Tuesday more than other nights, North had cause to haul in some tables and inflate a few balloons. The North Stars topped St. Charles East, 2,833-2,678, defeating the Saints for the first time in three seasons while rolling a season-best series.
“We’re always striving to get more pins. We’re striving to get more spares,” North senior Jessica Miller said. “We just keep working at it.”
Host North earned four of a possible five Upstate Eight Conference points in the dual, winning the second and third games to then gain two points for the best overall pinfall.
East edged North, 926-925, in the opening game, but the North Stars maintained their resolve and remained upbeat.
What else is new?
“Absolutely, energy is a huge thing,” North Stars sophomore Alyssa Byers said. “Helping each other out still. Making sure if you’re missing by a little bit, telling each other what you can work on, what you can do with this. Asking each other and just getting advice.”
The Saints enjoy a similar collaborative. Third-year coach Tom Cole, who competed at Sandburg during his prep days, began the season with a mix of experienced and novice bowlers.
Cole found the best strategy was to begin with the basics. Which boards to use. Which arrows to use. From there, East’s newcomers progressed to understand the finer points of footwork and other techniques. Tuesday brought the latest checkpoint in that growth.
“They did great. We’ve been practicing all season for, essentially, meets like this,” Cole said. “Something that we know is going to challenge ourselves. Something that is really going to push forth our girls’ abilities. And I think that they shined through today.”
Byers paced North with a 619 series. Miller was next with a 598, rolling her season-best series on senior night. Claire Sebastian added a 587, keyed by the North Stars’ high game, a 257.
East junior Emma Vitallo led the team with a 677 series, 11 pins ahead of freshman teammate Meagan Markovich, who had the Saints’ high game with a 227. Sophomore Cassie Cartee had a 528 series, and a late scoring change to her Game 1 score helped vault East past North.
“Everything kind of comes into place, and that’s what they’re working on,” Cole said.
The North Stars and Saints both are idle until Feb. 2, when the UEC holds its varsity positioning night at Parkside Lanes in Aurora. North and East also are part of the Lake Park Regional, and will join UEC brethren Geneva, Bartlett, Elgin, Larkin and South Elgin at the Brunswick Zone in Roselle on Feb. 6.
“I feel like this is the time to peak, you know, as things are winding down,” Madej said. “So it’s great that we keep getting better as the season’s going on.”
ST. CHARLES – St. Charles North girls bowlers typically treat the party room at St. Charles Bowl as a multipurpose facility.
The North Stars stretch there before home meets and convene with coach Lindsay Madej after competing.
On Tuesday more than other nights, North had cause to haul in some tables and inflate a few balloons. The North Stars topped St. Charles East, 2,833-2,678, defeating the Saints for the first time in three seasons while rolling a season-best series.
“We’re always striving to get more pins. We’re striving to get more spares,” North senior Jessica Miller said. “We just keep working at it.”
Host North earned four of a possible five Upstate Eight Conference points in the dual, winning the second and third games to then gain two points for the best overall pinfall.
East edged North, 926-925, in the opening game, but the North Stars maintained their resolve and remained upbeat.
What else is new?
“Absolutely, energy is a huge thing,” North Stars sophomore Alyssa Byers said. “Helping each other out still. Making sure if you’re missing by a little bit, telling each other what you can work on, what you can do with this. Asking each other and just getting advice.”
The Saints enjoy a similar collaborative. Third-year coach Tom Cole, who competed at Sandburg during his prep days, began the season with a mix of experienced and novice bowlers.
Cole found the best strategy was to begin with the basics. Which boards to use. Which arrows to use. From there, East’s newcomers progressed to understand the finer points of footwork and other techniques. Tuesday brought the latest checkpoint in that growth.
“They did great. We’ve been practicing all season for, essentially, meets like this,” Cole said. “Something that we know is going to challenge ourselves. Something that is really going to push forth our girls’ abilities. And I think that they shined through today.”
Byers paced North with a 619 series. Miller was next with a 598, rolling her season-best series on senior night. Claire Sebastian added a 587, keyed by the North Stars’ high game, a 257.
East junior Emma Vitallo led the team with a 677 series, 11 pins ahead of freshman teammate Meagan Markovich, who had the Saints’ high game with a 227. Sophomore Cassie Cartee had a 528 series, and a late scoring change to her Game 1 score helped vault East past North.
“Everything kind of comes into place, and that’s what they’re working on,” Cole said.
The North Stars and Saints both are idle until Feb. 2, when the UEC holds its varsity positioning night at Parkside Lanes in Aurora. North and East also are part of the Lake Park Regional, and will join UEC brethren Geneva, Bartlett, Elgin, Larkin and South Elgin at the Brunswick Zone in Roselle on Feb. 6.
“I feel like this is the time to peak, you know, as things are winding down,” Madej said. “So it’s great that we keep getting better as the season’s going on.”