Niles boys bowling team remains undefeated

Published 5:10 pm Thursday, February 4, 2021

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NILES — A short-handed Niles boys bowling team remained undefeated following a 20-10 win over visiting Constantine at Joey Armadillo’s Wednesday.

With one player out with an injury and another out for an undisclosed reason, the Vikings turned to an inexperienced player to help pull out the victory.

“The varsity boys were up against a pretty seasoned Constantine team,” said Niles coach Jim Jaynes. “Being short-handed, we found ourselves leaning on a new player with very limited competition reputations. I don’t believe Gavin Mahar, our newest athlete, was expecting to start or get tons of reps. He however stepped right up and contributed as much as he had. It was our first real learning experience for this season. The boys performed very well, all things considered.”

Niles (4-0) dropped the first Baker Match to the Falcons 210-190, but rallied to win the second Baker Match 173-173. The Vikings dominated the regular matches, defeating Constantine 1,956 pins to 1,782 pins.

Trenton Phillips led Niles with a 522 series, which included games of 265 and 257. Preston Sharpe rolled a 482 series, while Matt McKeel finished with a 422 series.

Constantine did not field a girls team, giving Niles a forfeit win.

The team did not waste the opportunity as it competed as if it were in a match with the Falcons.

Kaelynn Smith led the team with a 320 series, which included games of 180 and 140. Laura Golubski rolled a 282 series, Riley Hooper a 294 series and Angel Walsh a 245 series.