Thunder, Bucs to meet as NIC-10 bowling season begins

By Bob Balgemann

REPORTER

The Belvidere-Belvidere North rivalry will return to the bowling alley Friday, Dec. 2 as the 2016-17 conference season gets under way.

North won both the boys and girls matches last year.

The Blue Thunder won two of three games for an overall 76-pin victory, 3,661 to 3,585. For the Lady Blue Thunder, the margin of victory was 185 pins, 3,177 to 2,992, as they took all three games from the Lady Bucs.

This conference match will be at the nearby Cherry Bowl in Cherry Valley, home of Belvidere North. Belvidere’s home matches are at Forest Hills Lanes in Loves Park.

Overall last season, the two girls’ teams finished the NIC-10 campaign tied for second place with 7-2 records.

The Lady Blue Thunder continued a strong 2015-16 by winning the Round Lake Sectional Tournament and taking eighth in the state. While winning the sectional for the second consecutive year, North upended NIC-10 champion Harlem, which had gone 9-0 in league play.

North was seventh in the state the year before.

Both Belvidere and Belvidere North boys’ and girls’ teams were young last season and figure to be solid competitors this winter.

James Paddock is back for his fifth year as head coach of the Lady Blue Thunder varsity. They will be led this year by two juniors, Brynn Lambrecht and Kylie Johnson, who were regulars last season.

The girls’ teams

Lambrecht averaged 178 in conference action with a high three-game series of 594 and a high single game of 242. Away from the NIC-10, she rolled a 300 game. At state, Lambrecht averaged 214 over 12 games.

Johnson carried a 195 average in league play, which is good for a spot in the top 16 individually.

Others who logged varsity experience last season were seniors Emily Nakashima and Alexis Bendorf. Nakashima averaged 172 over 19 games with a 254 high game and 638 high series. Alexis participated in 17 games with a 179 average, high 235 game, and high 584 series.

Senior Sidney Baird, sophomore Camile Spencer, and freshman Rachel Nelson also are expected to contribute.

North’s junior varsity girls were 7-2, good for third place. Members of that team were Lauren Schaefer, Giovanna Castaldo, Camile Spencer, Cailyn Kottman, Sidney Baird, Jayde Jinx, Jenna Rider, Kaitlyn Trimble, Marian Anderson, Emily Nakashima, Alexis Bendorf, and Megan Misiak.

Anderson’s 176 average was best among her teammates, followed by Bendorf with a 158, Nakashima with a 157, Spencer with a 155, Trimble with a 148, and Baird with a 146.

Belvidere’s varsity girls, who qualified for the sectional tournament, were led last year by current seniors Holley Steelberg, Hannah Lowery, and Hailey Carter, along with junior Alexis Sherman.

Steelberg averaged 189 in NIC-10 competition, and her 279 single game was the second best in the league. Carter also carried a 189 average; her 725 series ranked fifth individually.

Lowery recorded a 179 average with a 249 high game and 613 high series. Sherman averaged 157 with a high game of 215 and a top series of 540.

The Lady Bucs’ junior varsity team finished 4-5. Participants included Allison White, Makayla Medina, Elyce Turnipseed, Alyssa Chin, Kassandra Worden, and Hannah Whidby. Whidby’s 143 average topped the group.

The boys’ teams

Belvidere North’s boys finished 5-4 in the conference led by state qualifier Garrett Nelson, a junior at the time. He finished fourth in the sectional tournament with a 1,368 series over six games.

This will be a senior-laden varsity with Nelson, Jose Gonzalez, Javier Martinez, Max Rukhaberlen, and Alexander Schauer. Justin Bragg is a sophomore.

Nelson averaged 201 in NIC-10 play with a high single game of 267 and a three-game 681 series. Martinez also was a regular on the varsity, averaging 200 with a 278 high game and a 661 high series.

Junior Logan Blankenship mostly played at the junior varsity level, averaging 224 with a high series of 708. He bowled five games for the varsity, carrying a 191 average. Gonzalez, Rukhaberlen, Schauer, and Bragg also were junior varsity regulars, with Schauer averaging 184 over 26 games.

Belvidere’s varsity finished 1-8 despite having some outstanding individual performances.

Senior Joe Gallagher, a regular last year, averaged 210 for the season with a 290 single game and a 748 series. Others who were regulars in 2015-16 were seniors Brock Irwin and Zach Brawner; juniors Ben Deardorff and Anthony Guttierez; and sophomore Kevin Jenks.

Deardorff averaged 196 with a 278 single game and a 715 series; Brawner, a 189 to go with a 226 and a 619; Jenks, a 185 along with a 237 and a 661; Guttierez, a 175 with a 193 and a 548; and Irwin, a 168 average along with a 216 high game and a 555 series.

The Buc junior varsity closed at 2-7 in the NIC-10.

That team consisted of Jacob Brawner, Gage Stensven, Anthony Guttierez, Michael May, Ryan Quezada, Daniel Weger, Alexander Gehrke, Brock Irwin, and Devin Gough.

Gough bowled in all 27 games and led the team with a 170 average. He was followed by Irwin, nine games and a 164 average; Guttierez, 20 games and a 155 average; and Brawner, 24 games with a 149 average.