DeKALB – Sycamore girls bowler Maddie Lathrop has fought off a bothersome ankle injury to help lead the Spartans to a 3,251-2,748 win over DeKalb on Tuesday at Mardi Gras Lanes.

Lathrop bowled a 576 series, but she said she has found herself gaining confidence after bowling a 300 game in practice several weeks ago.

“I want to make the team proud and boost everyone up,” Lathrop said.

The Spartans boys also defeated the Barbs, 3,814-3,406, led by a 704 series from Jeffrey Gasso. The Spartans also picked up strong performances from Christian Lanan and Riley Runowiecki.

“I performed about how I wanted to, about five pins short of what I wanted to shoot, but as a team I thought we did really well,” Runowiecki said.

Runowiecki, who fell a pin short of a 300 game in an early season practice, had a high-game of 266 and said one of his goals this season is to build strong relationships with his teammates.

Given the familiarity between the teams, Lanan, with a high game of 253, had looked forward to the meeting with DeKalb.

“DeKalb’s always been our biggest rival, and we always look forward to coming here and beating them,” Lanan said.

The Barbs girls were led by Michael Rae (626 series) and Makala Rae (612).

“I think we’re doing pretty good as a team,” Makala Rae said. “We started off rough at our first tournament, but other than that, it’s been OK.”

Michael Rae said the difference Tuesday was not picking up spares and not carrying.

“I had a good first game, 217, and then when I went into the second game, I just wasn’t carrying anything,” Michael Rae said. “So what I did in the third game, I moved my angle, I moved it left and that gave the ball some room to come in and then I knew I had to hit light to carry all those strikes.”

Gasso’s 268 was the high game for the day, boys or girls. Megan Kolberg bowled a series of 673 with a high game of 238.

“When you get freshmen who are involved in something they’ve never done before at this level, you always wonder if they’re going to be wide-eyed and a little intimidated,” Sycamore coach Andy Hampton said. “And our girls, Brandi Stover and Maxine Lathrop, have just jumped right in. I think coming through our middle school program has really helped them.”

Up next: The DeKalb boys are at the Guilford invite Saturday. The Barbs girls host Waubonsie Valley on Wednesday. The Sycamore boys host Elgin on Thursday. The Spartans girls team bowl against Kaneland on Wednesday.