BIG ROCK BOWLING CENTER

champ Derek Acuff

            Derek Acuff will always have the record for highest score in a JBT title match. He now owns a score near the opposite end of the spectrum, but still a score equally worth a win, in exciting JBT New Mexico-Texas Conference at Big Rock Bowling Center.

            Aaron Foshie opened up the stepladder finals with a big 246-192 win over Wendy Shelton, making her first open scratch finals of the season.  Acuff then turned the tables on Foshie, defeating him 255-150.  Derek then got by 34-time JBT champ Cameron Smith 234-211 to reach the title match.

            Top seed Mason Edmonson made the challenging pattern look easy, averaging nearly 230 to grab the #1 position.  The match figured to be a high scoring one between two of our best lefthanders, but whether it was fatigue (this was the second tournament of the day, which began at 8 PM and the title match started just after 1 AM), changing lanes, or something else, both bowlers struggled quite a bit in the final.  Needing a mark to win, the usually solid Mason left a 2-4-7-10, which he couldn't convert, giving the stunned Acuff a 162-154 win, and his 11th career JBT title.

            Shelton's excellent weekend continued with a 197-195 win over Olivia Silva (handicap regulars who along with Alexis Atkin made the scratch-only cut), her second Women's Series win of the day.

            Special thanks to Big Rock for letting us have the extra Saturday night event, which awarded another $875 to the field.