Milito, Skalacki power Suffolk All-Stars

SYRACUSE - After celebrating their 18th birthdays this weekend, Jeremy Milito and Matt Skalacki bowled like men among boys.

The pair led Suffolk to a six-game pinfall of 6,099 to edge Section III by 75 pins and win the Sectional All-Star Tournament at Strike-n-Spare Lanes in Syracuse Sunday. Nassau's All-Stars took third with 5,863.

Milito, a Sachem East senior who blew out the candles Friday, had a tournament-high 1,377 series, including 257 in Game 1. Middle Country's Skalacki, yesterday's birthday boy, had a 233 in Game 3 of a 1,269 series.

"I wanted to close out my high school career on a good note and I did that," Milito said. "It couldn't end better than this."

Added Skalacki: "It's pretty awesome. We were just really on top of our game."

Sachem East's Gregg Reed had a 241 in Game 6 of a 1,142 series and teammate Steve Sabella 1,081. Hauppauge's Joe Pontorno had 1,112 and Lindenhurst's Josh Sposito 1,026.

"We have great chemistry," Reed said. "I love everybody and they're all great bowlers . . . Suffolk bowling is the best, what can I say?"

Nassau and Suffolk were paired on the same lanes, making for an intriguing Long Island showdown 300 miles from home. Nassau had a strong showing behind Plainview's Matthew Farber, who rolled a 231 in Game 3 of a 1,268 series.

Wantagh was well-represented by Nick Spinelli (1,202) and Ryan Fiorillo, who had a 1,198 series, including a 246 in Game 5 for the tournament's third-highest game. East Meadow freshman Jeffrey Juarez rolled a 1,148 series. Roslyn's Sam Kaplan finished with 999 and Steven Harris 961. "We didn't do too well last year, so we came back confident and knew we were one of the better teams here," Farber said. "I think we showed that."

East Meadow's Erica Tuthill, the only senior among six Nassau girls competing, could admit she was "definitely not" the most mature of the group.

"Fun" was the operative word for Long Island's stars. The bonding on the long bus rides and good times with friends are most memorable for Tuthill, who shot 1,026 in her last high school event.

So although Section II toppled 5,748 pins to win, and Suffolk (5,425) and Nassau (5,318) took fifth and sixth, respectively, spirits remained high.

"We obviously wanted first, but this wasn't bad. We enjoyed ourselves," Middle Country freshman Kelly Skalacki said. Last year, she helped lead a comeback en route to second place in an emotional state tournament. This time, as an All-Star, "it's much more relaxed."

Sewanhaka District's Rebecca Gotterbarn bowled a 1,144 series and Carle Place's Dhara Kadakia 1,055 to lead Nassau. Melissa Sherwin (Middle Country) had 1,084 and Lori Greenblatt (Islip) 1,057 for Suffolk. Longwood's Kylie Spillett had the tournament's second-highest game with a 233 and Gotterbarn and Kayla Cappuzzo both rolled 226 to tie for third.