Stefanie Johnson Reigns As Empress of the Inaugural
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
JUNE 24, 2021 CALIFORNIA 7502B Florence Ave, Downey,OWLING CA 90240 • Website: CaliforniaBowlingNews.com • Email: [email protected] N • Office:EWS (626) 252-2985 Fax: (562) 807-2288 Sam Cooley Wins STEFANIE JOHNSON REIGNS AS PBA West Casino Morongo Open EMPRESS OF THE INAUGURAL by Frank Weiler PBA KING OF THE LANES: EMPRESS EDITION CABAZON – Sam Cool- Dethrones 25-time PWBA champion Liz Johnson to leave Portland as Empress ey, the pride of Australia, won his first PBA Regional by Jef Goodger Title last weekend at Can- PORTLAND, Maine— yon lanes. Sam averaged Stefanie Johnson defeated 239.63 to place second after Liz Johnson to claim the eight games of qualifying throne as Empress of the and eight games of Match Lanes following the fifth Play. and final telecast of the After Robert Smith PBA King of the Lanes: defeated VanDaniker in Empress Edition present- the opening game of the Sam Cooley ed by Pabst Blue Ribbon step-ladder finals he faced 234 and finished in tenth held at Bayside Bowl. Ste- Sam Cooley. Sam was just place with a score of +616. fanie Johnson, a three-time weeks past winning his first Tim has the most unique PWBA Tour champion, National Title and was brim- style in professional bowl- rolled 216 to Liz Johnson’s ming with confidence. He ing. He is a two hander like 189 to earn the crown. Stephanie Johnson showed it firing a 260 game Jason Belmonte but releases “Liz Johnson is an at Smith. “Rapid Robert” the bowling ball differently icon,” said Stefanie John- first shot in the 10th ended Stefanie Johnson. “It’s en- large margins. First, she showed no fear of one of the than any other two hander. son. “Just to be in her pres- her run at perfection. lightening. I fed off of it. defeated Ashly Galante hottest bowlers in the world Tim pushes the ball out ence alone is incredible, “I got close,” said Ste- Obviously I can hear them, in the contenders match, and might have won had he from his chest and not from and to beat the best of the fanie Johnson, “but the task but I have to stay laser-fo- 248-187, then dethroned not fanned on one ten pin his side. best is just awesome.” at hand is always to win cused on what I’m doing. I Empress Missy Parkin with early in the game. Reigning PBA West Re- To get a chance at Liz the match and that was my wear my heart on my sleeve a 232-181 victory. Parkin In the championship gion Rookie-of-the-Year Johnson in the Empress goal.”Stefanie Johnson fin- and I work really hard and earned the title of Empress game Cooley rolled 10 con- Deo Benard finished in match, Stefanie Johnson ished with 278 to get past to have the fruits of my la- on the first night of com- secutive strikes to defeat ninth place averaging 231 first had to win her con- Crawley, who rolled six bor pay off is amazing.” petition by defeating Daria Butturff 288 to 257. But- and compiling a score of tenders match against Ver- consecutive strikes late in Liz Johnson became the Pajak, who reigned for two turff was the hottest bowler +629. Deo is a bowling ity Crawley. Stefanie John- the game to finish with 222. Empress in the first of two telecasts after defeating throughout the tournament prodigy having just turned son began with the front “This crowd is abso- telecasts on the evening by inaugural Empress Kelly and was rolling strikes with 17 years of age! He is a nine, but a 10 pin on her lutely electrifying,” said winning two matches by Kulick. ease frame after frame. smooth rolling left handed However, it didn’t take the two hander. Deo has the “Australian Dream” long to composure of a man ten face Jakob down by opening years his age and I predict the game with his 10 bagger. him becoming a star on the JASON STERNER REIGNS AS Sam Cooley has developed PBA National Tour. one of the strongest mental Buddy Lucas, a local games in the sport of Bowl- bowler from Montclair, ing and now that he has won, held his own in Match Play he will win many more PBA against some of the best PBA KING OF THE LANES titles. bowlers in the world, PBA Seizes the crown from Parker Bohn III and successfully defends against Tom Daugherty In addition to Sam Cool- National champions. He by Jef Goodger ey and Jakob Butturff the exhibited poise under pres- PORTLAND, Maine — field was loaded with PBA sure and finished in eleventh Jason Sterner is the PBA stars including P.J. Hagger- place with a four and four King of the Lanes present- ty, Marshall Kent, Robert won-lost record. He aver- ed by Pabst Blue Ribbon at Smith and Darren Tang. aged 225 and scored a +526. the conclusion of the 2021 Nine of the top 10 finishers I would like to see Buddy PBA King of the Lanes Se- in the tournament are PBA compete on the PBA Na- ries. Sterner took the throne champions, on the National tional Tour because he has from PBA Hall of Famer Tour or at the regional level. the power game necessary Parker Bohn III, then de- Perfect 300 games were for success at the next level. feated Tom Daugherty to rolled by Eric Hatchett, The tournament was retain the crown. Eddie VanDaniker Jr.. an overwhelming success “I’m a humble guy, but and Darren Tang. Hatchett thanks to Canyon Lanes this might make me puff started Match Play with an manager Dave Barmore my chest up a little bit,” Jason Sterner 838 three game set to take and Tournament Director said Sterner. “I’m going to the tournament lead. He Josh Blanchard. hold onto it as long as I can reigning King. Sterner first beat Portland “I grew up watching went on to finish in seventh I’m looking forward to and they’re going to have to “I really liked the move Lumberjacks manager Parker on TV, wanting to place averaging 237 and the next PBA West Region- come get it.” on that 4 pin,” Sterner said Tim Mack in the contend- bowl him,” said Sterner, compiling a score of +723. al Tournament at Canyon Sterner followed a of his ninth frame. “I knew ers match, rolling the front “and now I have the oppor- Tim Cagle II averaged Lanes. spare in the ninth with all that gave Tom the opportu- eight on the way to a 267 tunity. Match Play ended with four bowlers three strikes in the 10th to nity, but I also knew I got to game, the highest game by He’s an inspiration. Ev- advancing to the step ladder finals: force Daugherty to get two finish on the lane I wanted any player in the King of ery time I bowl him, it’s a 1. Jakob Butturff 243 average +931 strikes and nine to win. to, so I went up there, stuck the Lanes Series. Sterner tough match. 2. Sam Cooley 239 average +814 Daugherty left a single to my routine and made then dethroned Bohn, 245- I hated to take the crown 3. Eddie VanDaniker Jr. 239 average +788 pin on his first shot in the three great shots.” 215, to advance to the final from him, but I love him.” 4. Robert Smith 237 average +773 10th, leaving Sterner the On his way to the crown, telecast as King. results on page 4 PAGE 2 CALIFORNIABOWLINGNEWS.COM June 24, 2021 June 24, 2021 CALIFORNIABOWLINGNEWS.COM PAGE 3 KOVALOVA SUCCESSFULLY DEFENDS TITLE AT 2021 PWBA LOUISVILLE OPEN LOUISVILLE, Ky. - Ukraine’s Dasha Kovalova be- notes and kept rereading it and going through the came the first player on the Professional Women’s cycle that was described, which really helped a lot. Bowling Association Tour since 2017 to successfully defend a title after capturing the win Saturday at the “I’m afraid to disappoint people, so I felt very 2021 PWBA Louisville Open. anxious because I had been leading for most of the week. I start to wonder what will happen if I throw it The 26-year-old right-hander capped a dominating bad during the title match, but I know I have to just performance during the week at Executive Strike and enjoy the journey.” Spare with a 225-202 title-match victory over Missy Parkin of Laguna Hills, California, to earn her second Parkin, the No. 4 seed for the stepladder, ad- win of the season and fourth career PWBA Tour title. vanced to the title match by defeating Bond in a tight- ly contested semifinal, 232-224. Bond delivered three The win garnered Kovalova a $10,000 top prize, strikes in the final frame to force Parkin to knock over and the championship round was broadcast live on at least nine pins on her first shot for the chance to BowlTV.com. move on and face Kovalova. She led all but the first round this week in Louis- Parkin, who was looking for her first title since the ville, and she earned the top seed for the champion- 2011 Queens, rolled a strike and toppled seven pins ship round by 274 pins over Julia Bond of Aurora, on her second shot to collect the win. Illinois, who qualified second for the stepladder after 24 games. She recorded her third runner-up finish of the 2021 season in her fourth championship-round ap- Kovalova became the first player since Liz John- Dasha Kovalova pearance.