Boys Bowling: Lockport locks up Blue title

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Updated: February 16, 2012 8:22AM

With Lockport, Sandburg and Joliet West all finishing the regular season with 8-2 conference records, Saturday’s SouthWest Suburban Blue boys bowing meet figured to come down to the wire.

Instead, Lockport put together one of its best performances of the season, taking away most of the drama with big scores in Games 3 through 5 and earning the team title with a six-game total pinfall of 6,214 to Sandburg’s 6,087 at AMF Lanes in Bolingbrook.

“We missed some easy spares in the second game,” Lockport coach Jeff Wyatt said. “We talked about it and we came out and shot a (tournament best) 1,120 in the third game. We bowled good and probably had one of our strongest days of the year.”

In the race for the overall Blue title, which factors in both the regular season and Saturday’s results, the Porters nipped Sandburg 106 points to 104.

There was more drama in the individual race. Sandburg’s Joey Kopera entered the final game 23 pins behind the Porters’ John Isit, but Kopera put together a 279 game with 11 strikes in the finale to capture the crown.

Kopera finished with 1,435 pins to Isit’s 1,380.

“I didn’t know where I was (going into the last game),” Kopera said. “I never look at the standings because I don’t want to freak out. I made some good adjustments and I got some luck and this was my best performance of the season.”

Lockport’s Brian Hodolitz (3rd, 1,314), Sandburg’s Steve Jacobsen (4th, 1,309) and Lincoln-Way East’s Brandon Nathan (8th, 1,246) also were medalists.

Lincoln-Way East (5,674) finished fifth.

For Lockport, the title was a big momentum builder heading into next week’s Minooka Sectional, regarded by many as the toughest in the state.

“The guys showed up today,” Isit said. “We got off to a good start and got momentum. Hopefully, we can take this win and keep building.”