Girls bowling: Scouting the Mid-Suburban League tournament
Mid-Suburban League girls bowling tournament
Where: AMF Lanes, Rolling Meadows
When: 8:30 a.m., Saturday
Team standings entering tournament play: 1. Schaumburg 84-15; 2. Elk Grove 83-16; 3. Prospect 73-26; 4. Hoffman Estates 68-31; 5. Conant 58-41; 6. Palatine 50-49; 7. (tie) Wheeling 47-52, Buffalo Grove 47-52; 9. Rolling Meadows 45-54; 10. Hersey 19-80; 11. Fremd 11-79; Barrington 0-90.
Top 10 individuals entering tournament play: Jodi Gawlik, Schaumburg (217.12 conference average), Caerlina Williams, Elk Grove (205.58), Julie Thomas, Schaumburg (197.87), Stephanie Vura, Conant (196.82), Jenny Schmitt, Wheeling (195.64), Tedra Tado, Elk Grove (195.48), Liz Saffold, Hoffman Estates (195.42), Ashley Dolce, Elk Grove (193.64), Lisa Papeck, Hoffman Estates (193.30), Brianna Carroo, Conant (192.67).
Outlook: The MSL championship is up for grabs as defending champion Schaumburg and Elk Grove head to the lanes separated by only 1 point, Prospect trails by only 11 points and Hoffman has an outside shot at the title. The Saxons boast two of the top three bowlers after league play, headed by the incredible 217.12 average from junior Gawlik. Thomas and Taylor Kallhoff (190.08) are threats for Schaumburg, while Elk Grove has three - Williams, Tado and Dolce - in the top 10. Williams had the MSL's top game, a 279. Prospect has been consistent all season and hopes to make a tourney splash behind Rachel Oehlert (188.81) and Allison Walsh (186.71). Hoffman has improved from week to week and could suprise behind the stellar work of Saffold and Papeck. Individually, four-year varsity player Schmitt is enjoying her best season,and Conant's Vura has excelled all year.
What they're saying
"The team that wins this year is the team that can be consistent all six tournament games. With all the teams so close, you can't afford to have even one bad game. I've never seen as many teams bowling so well as I have this year." - Schaumburg coach Mark Kelly.
"We've prepared well all season, and if we bring our best game on Saturday, I think we have an excellent chance to take first place." - Elk Grove coach Kim Sander.
"We're bowling as well as we have all season. We're definitely peaking at the right time - we were sixth out of 32 teams at the Rockford Tournament last weekend, and we had the highest pin count that we've had all season." - Hoffman coach Dan Pfligler
"Our goal at the beginning of the season was to be a top five team. To do that, we have to make up some ground. But there's plenty of points to be had in the tournament and there's a great chance to jump up." - Wheeling coach Beth Anderson.