By STEVE MORRISON
Niles Daily Star

In only its second year of existence and first year in the Southern Lake Michigan High School Bowling Conference, the Brandywine Bobcats boys’ bowling team pulled out a cliff-hanger to win their first league championship over Coloma’s Comets on Saturday at Joey Armadillo’s Bowling Center.

The Bobcat girls’ team won 18 of 30 points over South Haven’s Rams to solidify its third place finish to wrap up a successful day.

Hosting the championship round proved beneficial as many parents and local supporters were in attendance to support the young Bobcat keglers. There were plenty of fans crowded into the bowling alley representing all of the six teams in the competition.

Allegan’s Tigers, South Haven, New Buffalo’s Bisons and the Benton Harbor Tigers’ teams rounded out the field of competitors in the initial year of the conference finals.

The outcome was in doubt throughout the afternoon for the boys’ fate. Coloma’s lead-off man, Jared Metz tossed a 235 to lead the Comets to a 1,000-953 win over Brandywine in the first of the four -game format. Shane Zelasco led the Bobcats with a 212 and Aaron Marquardt threw a 205 in that first game, but splits plagued the overall team score. In fact, Zelasco ended up in a tie for conference-high average for the season, with a 198.
For Brandywine, the second game proved to be even more frustrating than the first. The Comets’ five took that contest 963 pins to the Bobcats’ 912. Brandywine had entered the day leading the Comets by a slim 188-186 point margin. After those first two losses Saturday, the Bobcats trailed Coloma 193-199.

They knew that they needed to bear down and show their fangs.

The final two games of the match were conducted using the Baker Bowl format. In Baker Bowl competition, each member of each five-member team only bowls two frames in a 10 frame game.

The lead-off bowler tosses the first and sixth frames, the second bowler of each quintet rolls the second and seventh frames, the third throws the third and eighth frames, and in this sequence the game is completed.

Brandywine exhibited its mettle at the most crucial time. In the first of the two Baker Bowl games, Brandywine’s Zach Rose, bowling clean-up, struck out in the 10th frame to pace the Bobcats to a 228-222 conquest of the Comets.

Facing the final showdown, the Bobcats blew away Coloma in a 236-185 victory to secure the conference crown. Second position bowler, Marquardt; third position teammate, William Betts; and Zelasco, bowling fourth, struck in both of their attempts.

With a strong finish, Brandywine had rebounded to tie Coloma 15-15 for the day and preserve its two -point margin (203-201) for a first-place finish of the campaign.
Brandywine’s girls took 18 of 30 points against South Haven. Haley Cameron led the Bobcats in the first two games with scores of 202-180.

Coaches Jim Conrad and Chris Marlin were both exuberant of the perseverance of the young Bobcats.

Conrad and Marlin expressed their appreciation of their squads’ efforts.
“It was a solid team effort,” emphasized Conrad.

“It was down to the wire!” Marlin responded. “It was a nail-biter.”