Penn-Trafford girls win inaugural WCCA bowling title

By: Paul Schofield
Sunday, January 30, 2022 | 11:01 AM

Things didn’t look good for the Penn-Trafford girls bowling team after two games at the Westmoreland County Coaches’ Association’s first championship Jan. 24.

But led by junior Alyssa Balest, the Warriors rallied to win the team title, edging Kiski Area at Lincoln Lanes in Latrobe. The Warriors finished with a final score of 2,423 to 2,416 for Kiski Area.

Balest rallied to capture the individual title. She rolled a 236 in her third game and finished with a 626 series. She averages 206, third best in the Western Pennsylvania Interscholastic Bowling League.

Kiski Area’s Veronica Flanagan finished second with a 600.

Balest said she struggled the first two games but found her groove in the third game.

“I had some issues in my first two frames, and then I finally picked it up at the end to get a 201,” Balest said. “The second game, I had another issue, but I brought it back for a 189, and then the last game, I figured it all out and finished with a 236.”

Balest got a lot of help from her teammates. Mikayla Urander and Abigail Veycheck each finished in the Top 10.

Uranker placed third with a 566, and Veycheck finished seventh with a 517.

“I’m very happy with my overall performance,” Balest said. “It’s pretty cool; it was a really good experience for me.

“I’m really happy with how it played out. We thought we were out of it, but we managed to pull it out.”

Emily Veycheck recorded a 441 series and Madison Novicki had a good third game and finished with a 273.

“I feel the girls have an excellent chance at being state champions,” Penn-Trafford coach Brett Lago said. “We have four outstanding girls who are consistent. That makes us tough to beat.”

Lago’s assistant coach, Courtney Weirs, is in charge of the girls’ team. She was an outstanding bowler at Hempfield.

“It’s difficult to beat us with four good girls,” Lago said. “They are very consistent.”

He was glad they responded under pressure in the county tournament.

“We’ve played better,” Lago said. “It was nice to get challenged, and we responded. That will help them in the coming weeks.”

The boys didn’t fare as well. They placed fourth behind Latrobe, Hempfield and Greensburg Central Catholic.

Trent McCoy was the only Warrior to finish in the Top 10. He was ninth with a score of 570.

Paul Schofield is a TribLive reporter covering high school and college sports and local golf. He joined the Trib in 1995 after spending 15 years at the Daily Courier in Connellsville, where he served as sports editor for 14 years. He can be reached at pschofield@triblive.com.

Tags: Penn-Trafford