By Cort Reynolds

BLUFFTON__Tournament host Bluffton finished second in the Northwest Conference bowling tournament at Southgate Lanes on Friday night, February 6.

Pirates Elana Navarro, Charlotte Kidd, Emmit Kidd and Elijah Nye finished on the all-tournament team by posting top-five finishes.

BOYS RESULTS
The Pirate boys were first in the four-team league tournament after the first two qualifying rounds with 3,165 total pins. 

Lincolnview was second with 2,930 pins, and Miller City finished third with 2,806 pins. Delphos Jefferson ended up fourth with 2,661, while Lima Central Catholic came in last with 2,173. 

Then in the championship series, which pitted the top two teams from the qualifier round, the Lancers beat the Pirates 2-0 in their best-of-three match. Lincolnview narrowly won game one 174-165, then took the second match 201-181 to capture the title.

“What a great inaugural event that the Bluffton Pirates could host for our local bowling teams,” said Bluffton head bowling coach Ben Nye. “I am lucky I have so many great people to help make a big event like this happen successfully. 

“First, I want to thank Delphos Jefferson, Lima Central Catholic, Lincolnview and Miller City for being involved in the tournament and for all the great bowling. 

“Second a huge thanks to BHS, Southgate Lanes, the bowlers, the parents and my coaches,” Nye continued. “The day could not have gone any better than it did, and it is because of our bowling community that that happened.”

Bluffton bowled an opening round series of 834-853-801=2,488.

In the three-game Baker Series, the Pirates rolled a 187-212-278=677. The 278 Baker game set a new Bluffton school program record.

Pirate Emmitt Kidd finished third in the boys field of 31 bowlers with an opening round series of 222-157-163=542. His 222 was the second-highest boys individual game of the tournament.

Elijah Nye ended up fifth with a 178-161-172=511 series. Xavier Navarro came in ninth after rolling a series of 164-181-132=477.

Brady Montgomery finished 17^th after totaling a 191-170=361 shortened two-game set. His 191 was his best game of the season in competition.

Weston Johnston rolled a 163 in game two, while Coby Dailey bowled a 140 in game one.

Taten Long of Miller City bowled the highest series to finish first in the boys tournament with a total of 594.

GIRLS RESULTS
In the girls league tournament, the Pirates took third in the four-team standings.

Lincolnview bowled a 663-704-697=2,064 opening round series. The Lancer girls then rolled a 153-159-140=452 Baker Series to end up first after the opening two rounds with a total of 2,516 pins.

The Pirate girls rolled a 464-560-536=1,560 opening round. In the three-game Baker round, Bluffton bowled 89-128-138=355 series. Overall, they knocked down 1,915 pins in the qualifying rounds.

LCC was second with a total of 2,060 pins. Miller City ended up fourth with 1,852 pins.

Lincolnview then won the championship round best-of-three finals 2-0 over LCC. The Lancers won game on 137-123, then took the second contest 144-79.

Pirate Elana Navarro finished a strong second in the girls opening round by bowling a 168-156-140=464 series. With a 168, Navarro rolled her best game of the season in competition. 

Navarro came in just five pins behind tournament winner Hadley Goins of Lincolnview, who tallied a 469 series. 

Teammate Charlotte Kidd came in third in the 25-bowler girls field with a 113-180-143=436 opening set. Her 180 in game two was the high girls individual outing of the tournament.

Laney Kiene bowled a 122-140-135=397 opening round series to come in eighth.

Natalie Richards rolled a 61-84-118=263 set to end up 15^th.

UP NEXT
The Pirate boys play in the sectional tournament at Napoleon on Tuesday, February 10. The girls sectional is Thursday, Feb. 12 at Napoleon.

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