East Islip girls bowling's Makayla Boyd, Brooke Andresen strike late for school's first state title since 2014
Makayla Boyd, Brooke Andresen, Meeya Leaderman and Katherine Coughlin of East Islip compete in the state Division I girls bowling team championships at Strike N' Spare Bowling Center in Syracuse, N.Y. on Sunday. Credit: Ben Cleeton
SYRACUSE — East Islip girls bowling didn’t fare well at the state tournament the past two years. But East Islip was determined to deliver a different result this time.
East Islip knocked down 5,637 pins, including 1,078 pins in Game 5 of 6, to earn the state Division I team championship, its first since 2014. East Islip was the only girls team to surpass 1,000 pins in a game at Strike ‘N’ Spare Lanes on Sunday.
Senior Makayla Boyd started Game 5 with eight straight strikes and finished with a 244. She topped the 200 mark in three games and finished with a 1,187 series, the eighth-highest overall.
“Once the streak started rolling, we all came together more than we had done to that point,” Boyd said. “Everything clicked in that game and once we started rolling, nothing could stop us.”
Peyton Scholl had her best total in Game 5 with a 228. The senior had a 1,016 series.
“I told my coaches earlier, ‘We like to keep you on your toes,” Scholl said. “We had all the support we needed out there and that picked us up after a tough morning.”
Brooke Andresen finished with a 1,235 series, the fourth-best of the event. The senior rolled a 235 in Game 5 as East Islip erased a deficit of over 100 pins and turned it into a 30-pin advantage.
“We started really rough and knew we weren’t getting anywhere if we didn’t pick it up,” Andresen said. “We started feeding off each other’s energy. We knew we were down around 100 pins, but in reality, that’s nothing.
Andresen rolled a 244 in Game 6 as East Islip finished 126 pins ahead of Mohonasen (Section II). Also in Game 6, Meeya Leaderman rolled a 197, Rosalie Crowe shot a 181 and Maureen Schweizer rolled a 177.
“Once we saw everyone striking, we all started to gain confidence,” Andresen said. “Everyone started feeling better and got louder. We’ve realized over the years that the louder we are, the better we do.”
MacArthur, the Nassau Division I champion, finished ninth. The Generals' highest total was an 820 in Game 2. Abby Buenaventura’s 1,199 series was the sixth-highest overall, anchored by a 247 in Game 6. Holland Boder added a 1,011 series and a 205 in Game 2 and Hazel Miller had an 866 series and shot a 174 in Game 3.
East Islip’s season didn’t come without hiccups. It lost a match to Central Islip, ending a winning streak that had surpassed 160 matches. Still, it won a third straight county title under first-year coach Genesis Dawson.
“These girls work hard. All of them do and I see it every day,” Dawson said. “I told them, 'pressure makes diamonds' and this was their moment.”
Christopher Matias covers high school sports for Newsday after spending time in Athletic Facilities and Operation at St. John’s and in Sports Information at CUNY York college.
