Penn Hills girls finish 4th at WPIBL tournament

By: HSSN Staff
Friday, February 23, 2018 | 11:57 PM

After missing the WPIBL championships last season, the Penn Hills girls bowling team made sure those in the bowling community didn't forget about them.

The Indians finished in fourth place at the WPIBL team championships with a team total of 2,368 pins at Family Bowl-Away in Butler on Feb. 15.

Butler won the team title after defeating Burrell in the finals. In the qualifying round, Butler finished with 2,761 pins, while Plum (2,406) and Burrell (2,403) were second and third. The Indians finished just ahead of Montour (2,363) and Greensburg Salem (2,362).

“It was a very difficult oil pattern that they had done. If one girl was struggling, someone else came to her rescue,” coach Nancy Lindsay said.

“They would put together a couple strikes to save the frame. Every one of those girls took the opportunity to do their part.”

Penn Hills, which only has the minimum of five bowlers on the team this season, finished 10th at the WPIBL team championships in 2015 and '16.

The fourth-place finish is Penn Hills' first top-five finish since 2010, when the Indians finished third. In 2009, Penn Hills was WPIBL runner-up.

Senior Christina Marra led the Indians with a three-game total of 546 pins. Marra had her best game the first time around when she bowled a 197. After only bowling a 158 in the second game, Marra bounced back with a 191 in her final game.

Freshman Tayler Parco (485) and junior Makayla Delo (481) finished second and third for the Indians. Parco started with her best game as she bowled a 191, while Delo saved the best for last when she bowled a 192 in her third game.

Freshman Ashley Hepler (440) and sophomore Audrey Grainy (416) rounded out the three-games scores for the Indians.

“I'm very, very pleased with the season. This tournament is just setting the tone for next year. We're back. Penn Hills is back,” Lindsay said.

“We had a year or two where we weren't quite where we needed to be. These girls have come together, and people are looking at us again.”

Lindsay believes the Indians' performance at the WPIBL championship provided her young and inexperienced team with confidence at the perfect time.

“They have to have the confidence to go up there and bowl. I told them all year long they were good enough, but they needed to make sure they felt that confidence,” Lindsay said.

“I think that tournament really proved to them that they really were talented enough. I told them it was their mental part of the game.”

Penn Hills hopes a top-five finish will be in their cards when they participate in the Western Pennsylvania Regional Championships at Princess Lanes.

Penn Hills qualified for the state championships in March.

In the WPIBL individual championship, Grainey (485) finished 35th, Hepler (455) finished 50th and Marra (400) was 73rd. All three qualified for the regional tournament.

If any of the Indians have hopes of qualifying for states, they will need to finish in the top 12 at regionals.

Andrew John is a freelance writer.

Tags: Penn Hills