Schaumburg rolls; Hersey steps it up

Palatine vs. Schaumburg was supposed to be the top meet in the fourth round of the Mid-Suburban Bowling League Monday night.

But Hersey and Prospect both overshadowed the Pirates and Saxons, the latter of which took all 9 points in a meet that turned out somewhat less competitive than expected.

Entering the fourth round, Schaumburg led the league with a 36-0 record. Palatine was tied with Prospect for second place with 20 points won and 7 lost.

While Palatine was shooting games of 888, 860 and 843 for a 2,591 series, Schaumburg was rolling games of 956, 929 and 978 for a 2,963 series and a 9-0 victory.

That left Schaumburg in first place with a 36-0 record while Palatine fell to fifth with a 20-16 mark.

"I told the girls before we got off the bus, Palatine is one of those teams that's hard for us to beat," said Schaumburg coach Mark Kelly. "We knew they'd be ready for us."

Palatine coach Jeff Manz may have tried to prepare his team, but it was not able to execute. In Game 2, the Pirates were 150 pins behind Schaumburg by the fifth frame.

"He's got a lot of young kids," Kelly said. "We moved our kids out of the track. I moved them back into the oil. His kids, every once in awhile they stayed in the track. I think that's because they're young. We were the better spare shooting team all three games."

In the past several seasons, Hersey has foundered in the lower half of the MSL standings. But first-year coach Julie Skyrzpa -- a former Prospect standout -- has made bowling a competitive sport at Hersey. In fifth place before Monday, the Huskies and Knights tied 2,799-2,799 to split the bonus points. Prospect won the meet 5½ to 3½ to take third place in the league.

"We've been working harder during practice," Skyrzpa said. "We work on team games, like Scotch Doubles and Baker Games.

"I think by working together as a team we're not focused on individual scores."

"(Hersey's) Nicole (Logisz) and Shauna (Pauly, who bowled a 739 - 267, 229, 243) both started with four-baggers, so I think we started feeling the pressure a little bit," said Skyrzpa's former coach, Prospect coach Greg Troyer. "Hersey is a bona fide contender. With Nicole and Shauna at the bottom (of the lineup), when they throw strikes they don't give a team a chance to relax."