Division girls win bowling title

Maybe next year.

That, essentially, was the message the Division girls bowling team sent to its rivals in the Nassau County tournament Saturday at Garden City Lanes.

The Blue Dragons haven't lost in-league in three years, but if ever there was a team riding such a win streak but wasn't the clear-cut favorite, it was this year. The competition had bridged the gap between itself and Division, in particular Sewanhaka District, which made them sweat in last year's tournament with a trio of upstart eighth-graders. And this year, Division - gasp! - didn't even have the county's highest average.

But in this last hoorah for a senior-laden bunch, Division toppled 5,542 pins to capture its third straight Nassau title and fourth in five years. Sewanhaka took second at 5,385, Bellmore-Merrick third (5,116), and Massapequa fourth (4,856).

One of those other teams may have next, but the Blue Dragons owns now.

"We wanted to win badly," Danielle Orlando said, "so we just went out and took it."

Erica Schneider had a tournament-best 1,237 series, Michelle Fitzpatrick bowled a 1,161 and, after struggling in Game 5, Orlando rebounded with a 221 in the sixth game to help Division (13-0) three-peat.

SEE PHOTOSSuffolk and Nassau bowling championships

"It's our last year together so this one means the most," Fitzpatrick, a senior, said of where this championship ranks. All but two members of the team are 12th-graders. "This one is more emotional."

The group's celebration was relatively subdued. Not much noise or animation, just long hugs and a some tears of joy.

Division took the lead, posting a 956 in Game 1 and never fell behind. They trailed off a bit in Games 3 and 4, and Sewanhaka came charging in the fifth - outscoring them 1,010-948 - to pull within 28 pins. But, like a seasoned "veteran" club, Division buckled down. "We held a quick team meeting and got ourselves refocused," Orlando said.

The players insisted they wouldn't pay attention to the game-by-game results - a copy was taped to the wall about 30 feet behind their lane - but, stationed in the lane adjacent to Sewanhaka's, their eyes told them as much while they pulled away, 904-775.

"After we won the first one [in 2006], I didn't think we'd have the same success because we lost seniors," coach Joanne Byrne said while wiping tears. "Then this group, they were young at the time, stepped up. Look what they've done."

Built a dynasty.

Notes: Nicole Celauro (Bellmore-Merrick) shot a 1,191 series, Valerie Chin (Wantagh) a 1,161, Danielle Georgio (Massapequa) a 1,140, and Danielle Roca led Sewanhaka with a 1,085.