Suffolk girls 2nd, Nassau 9th in state bowling tournament
Taylor Eggert rolled nine consecutive strikes in a 262, the high game of the day for the Suffolk All-Stars. Credit: Heather Ainsworth/Heather Ainsworth
SYRACUSE — Cheers and applause echoed throughout Strike 'N Spare Lanes during Saturday morning’s state girls bowling Sectional All-Star championship.
While plenty of teams were making noise, it was hard to argue that anyone was more boisterous than the six girls on the Suffolk All-Star team.
“Getting loud is our way of staying together,” said Comsewogue senior Hannah Manetta, who averaged 201.33 in her third and final appearance with Suffolk. “When you are on a team, as opposed to bowling by yourself, it’s totally different. Staying together was the motto, but the pins just didn’t fall our way.”
When it was all said and done, Suffolk finished 46 pins shy of a state title. Section VI (Western NY) took first with 6,517 pins, Suffolk had 6,471 and Section V (Genesee Valley) placed third with 6,405. Nassau was ninth with 5,365.
Kings Park senior Taylor Eggert, who bowled for the combined Smithown/Kings Park team, led the way with a 1,405 six-game series, the second-highest total of the event. She began Game 1 with nine consecutive strikes before having an open 10th frame to finish with a 262, the highest game of the day for Suffolk.
“I was just trying to make sure that everyone was up and the energy was going,” Eggert said. “When I’m pumped up and excited and keeping everything positive, I do a lot better. So, obviously I tried to do that for my team as well.”
Sachem North’s Amanda Naujokas made her fifth appearance at the state championships. She first appeared in the tournament as a seventh-grader with her combined Sachem team and has been on the All-Star team the last four seasons.
On Saturday, the junior bowled a 258 in the third game of a 1,265 series.
“As I’m getting older it’s crazy to think about how I have been up here so many times,” Naujokas said. “Everyone doesn’t get the chance to experience this and I have been fortunate to make it every year.”
Longwood’s Rachel Hines rolled a 1,246 series, Patchogue-Medford’s Canan Bademci had a 1,212 series and Newfield’s Hannah Skalacki, who bowled for the combined Middle Country team, added a 1,209 series.
Meanwhile, Division’s Brillian Soedarmasto led Nassau with a 224 in Game 4 of 1,174 series. Other team members and their scores were Hewlett’s Samantha Lipson (1,076), Syosset’s Olivia Chan (1,046), Clarke’s Arianna Fracchioni (1,018), Planview-Old Bethpage JFK’s Sari Arrow (971) and MacArthur’s Jennifer Taggart (947).
“We knew each other for like three weeks or so,” Soedarmasto said. “Before we went to states we all hung out and got to know each other. All of these girls are really skilled. We tried our best and had a lot of fun.”
