Warren's Thul finishes solid tourney tied for 12th

ROCKFORD -- Dani Thul had a goal in mind.

The Warren standout wanted to finish among the top bowlers in the state on Saturday at the IHSA girls bowling tournament at Cherry Bowl.

With three games left, the Blue Devils' senior was fourth, but she ended the tournament in a tie for 12th place with Waubonsie Valley's Sarah O'Brien 2,494.

Schaumburg's Marilyn Gawlik won the individual title, rolling a 12-game total 2,645 -- a 220 average.

Rockford Jefferson (12,096) won its first state championship, overtaking runner-up Schaumburg (12,027) in the final game. Both teams set a state record for most pins. Waubonsie Valley finished third with 11, 836.

"I was hoping to be top four or greater," Thul said. "The second half (Saturday afternoon), I just struggled with the shot. I know that I had confidence and did my best. I thought I did good enough and tried my hardest. You just keep going and not give up. I still felt like I accomplished something."

Thul rolled games of 211, 162 and 246 for a 619 series in the morning round. In the fourth round, Thul had games of 153, 214 and 194 for a 561.

Thul was trying to become the second state champion from Warren. The first was Arlene Hidalgo, who won the title 1994.

Three other Lake County bowlers -- Wauconda senior Allie Payne, Stevenson senior Jenn Lasky and Vernon Hills' Alyssa Dougherty -- each made her mark during the two rounds on the final day.

Payne, the Bulldogs' first state qualifier, finished 23rd. Payne started the day with a 624 series and rolled a 570 over the last three games for a 2,435.

"I was hoping I could've done better than I did," said Payne, a senior. "I knew I had to pick things up. I thought it was a great experience and I can move on to college and try to get better."

The Patriots' Lasky finished strong and didn't realize what she accomplished over her last three games. Lasky rolled games of 213, 227 and 243 for a 683 series in the afternoon round. She had rolled 529 in the morning and finished 25th with 2,432.

"Just averaging a 200 was a big deal for me," Lasky said. "Having a big game for my last game helped out a lot. I'm still in shock right now."

The Cougars' Dougherty was 62nd with 2,281.