ACME BOWL

champs Nick Devlin & Katelyn Switzer

        On a demanding lane condition requiring great shot making, Nick Devlin and Katelyn Switzer both came through in big ways, earning their first career JBT titles in exciting Pacific Northwest Conference action at Tukwila's Acme Bowl.

        Caleb Hathaway opened up the scratch division finals with a 183-157 win over Tristan Curtis.  Nick Devlin then stopped Hathaway 203-175, and followed with a 197-176 win over previous day's champion Josh Mullen to advance to the title game.

        Top seed Brian Monnette recovered from a heartbreaking loss the day before at Secoma to again dominate the tournament, grabbing the lead with a 279 game six effort that was by far the high score of the day on the very tricky 'Turnpike' pattern.  Both he and Devlin, determined to win their first singles titles, put on terrific displays of bowling in the title game.  Monnette filled 20 in his tenth frame, forcing Nick to double for the win.  Nick was up to the task, throwing all three in the final frame for a brilliant 238-227 win and a memorable first JBT title.

        Switzer began a climb up the handicap division stepladder with a 208-195 win over Toby Shepherd, who made his third consecutive finals appearance at Acme.  Switzer then exploded for the high handicap game of the day in a 267-178 win over Nickolas Perini.  Katelyn then got past Theresa Kelly 201-188 to move on and face top seed Zane Hays for the title.

        Hays only made a few appearances last season, but has returned with a vengeance, owning or sharing the lead all eight rounds to gain the top spot.  However, Switzer had all the momentum going into the title game, and didn't slow down, putting up another big number in a 247-177 win over Zane, good for the first title of her JBT career.

        Correen Lieber and Courtney Nikolas squared off in the Women's Series title game for the second straight event, but this time the opposite result was produced, as Nikolas, the lower seed, easily defeated Lieber, earning the first of three Women's Series wins she needs to qualify for the 2014 Girls TPC.

        Thanks as always the crew at Acme for a great job hosting us at their terrific facility.  Want in on all this fun and excitement?  Come on out to JBT events, it's that simple!