Title matches set for U12 Junior Gold Championships
July 22, 2016
INDIANAPOLIS – When the match-play bracket was finalized for the U12 division at the Junior Gold Championships presented by Storm, Roto Grip and Master, one of the first matches in the boys’ division players happened to involve players who were teammates a few days ago.
Competitors for the U12 finals were determined Friday at Woodland Bowl, as the top eight players in both the boys and girls divisions bowled a double-elimination bracket. The U12 finals for the Junior Gold Championships presented by Storm, Roto Grip and Master will take place at 9:30 a.m. Saturday at Western Bowl and the finals will be taped for broadcast.
CBS Sports Network will televise the U12 title matches on Tuesday, July 26, at 10 p.m. Eastern.
One of the opening matches on Friday had Anthony Mastroianni of Brooklyn, New York, squaring off against Alex Horton of Douglassville, Pennsylvania, competitors that know each other well. Horton was trying to reach the U12 title match for the second time – he was runner-up in 2014 – while Mastroianni had made the cut for the first time this year in three Junior Gold Championships appearances.
In Indianapolis, Mastroianni (left in photo), and Horton teamed to bowl the Youth Open Championships before Junior Gold started. They lead in doubles and, by a wide margin, in the team competition. Their Youth Open team also featured two other bowlers who reached match play – Brandon Bohn of Jackson, New Jersey, and Jordan Malott of Austin, Texas.
Mastroianni won the initial two-game, total-pins match against Horton, 347-272, but Horton would work his way through the lower bracket for another chance to take on his teammate. But Mastroianni once again would prevail, 346-218, to advance to Saturday’s title match.
“At first, it felt a little upsetting,” Mastroianni said about bowling Horton. “But afterwards I felt that I was going to be in the championship match, so I was a little happy.”
In the title match, Mastroianni will face off against top-seed Edgar Burgos of Dorado, Puerto Rico. Burgos (right in photo) averaged 190 during qualifying and did not slow down for the match play bracket, rolling two-game sets of 450 and 462 before beating Bohn, 422-382, to reach the title match.
Burgos credited his practice sessions for getting him ready for Junior Gold but did admit the thought of bowling on TV is a little intimidating.
“We play all the patterns and that’s what prepared me for the event,” said Burgos, who missed the cut his first time at Junior Gold in 2014 before reaching the advancers round last year. “It’s a little scary because I’ve never been on TV. But I think I will bowl well.”
In the girls’ bracket, No. 8 seed Hannah Diem (right in photo) of Seminole, Florida, beat top-seed Annalise O’Bryant of Ball Ground, Georgia, 425-350, in her opening match.
“I was very nervous about bowling her, actually, because I heard so many things about her,” said Diem, who made the cut to match play in her third Junior Gold appearance. “I was proud after beating her and didn’t think I would have to bowl her again.”
But O’Bryant did come back through the bracket to meet Diem. O’Bryant jumped to a big lead in the bracket final with a 204-160 victory in the first game, but Diem responded with a 210-165 victory to win the match by a single pin.
“It is very surreal,” said Diem, who holds the record for youngest bowler to shoot a 300 game (9 years, 6 months). “I did not think I would make it this far. I knew I could, but … it was a lot of work getting here.”
Elizabeth Coutta of Smyrna, Tennessee, (left in photo) took the long road to reach the girls title match in her half of the bracket. She lost to April Calatrava of Columbia, South Carolina, by 22 pins in her opening match, then worked her way through the lower bracket to come back to face Calatrava once again. Coutta would have to win twice, and she accomplished the task by scores of 296-284 and 404-319.
“I said this was the chance to redeem myself, and hopefully I don’t lose,” said Coutta, who’s been bowling for about four years. “It means a lot because I got further than last year. This year, I thought it was kind of over in the beginning and now I’ve made it this far.”
She added she’s excited to bowl on TV, because, well, she bowls better on TV. When pressed, Coutta explained her TV experience.
“Well, there was a commercial that was shot during league,” she said. “They were shooting while I was throwing, and I ended up doing really well.”
Go to BOWL.com/JuniorGold for complete results.
Competitors for the U12 finals were determined Friday at Woodland Bowl, as the top eight players in both the boys and girls divisions bowled a double-elimination bracket. The U12 finals for the Junior Gold Championships presented by Storm, Roto Grip and Master will take place at 9:30 a.m. Saturday at Western Bowl and the finals will be taped for broadcast.
CBS Sports Network will televise the U12 title matches on Tuesday, July 26, at 10 p.m. Eastern.
One of the opening matches on Friday had Anthony Mastroianni of Brooklyn, New York, squaring off against Alex Horton of Douglassville, Pennsylvania, competitors that know each other well. Horton was trying to reach the U12 title match for the second time – he was runner-up in 2014 – while Mastroianni had made the cut for the first time this year in three Junior Gold Championships appearances.
In Indianapolis, Mastroianni (left in photo), and Horton teamed to bowl the Youth Open Championships before Junior Gold started. They lead in doubles and, by a wide margin, in the team competition. Their Youth Open team also featured two other bowlers who reached match play – Brandon Bohn of Jackson, New Jersey, and Jordan Malott of Austin, Texas.Mastroianni won the initial two-game, total-pins match against Horton, 347-272, but Horton would work his way through the lower bracket for another chance to take on his teammate. But Mastroianni once again would prevail, 346-218, to advance to Saturday’s title match.
“At first, it felt a little upsetting,” Mastroianni said about bowling Horton. “But afterwards I felt that I was going to be in the championship match, so I was a little happy.”
In the title match, Mastroianni will face off against top-seed Edgar Burgos of Dorado, Puerto Rico. Burgos (right in photo) averaged 190 during qualifying and did not slow down for the match play bracket, rolling two-game sets of 450 and 462 before beating Bohn, 422-382, to reach the title match.
Burgos credited his practice sessions for getting him ready for Junior Gold but did admit the thought of bowling on TV is a little intimidating.
“We play all the patterns and that’s what prepared me for the event,” said Burgos, who missed the cut his first time at Junior Gold in 2014 before reaching the advancers round last year. “It’s a little scary because I’ve never been on TV. But I think I will bowl well.”
In the girls’ bracket, No. 8 seed Hannah Diem (right in photo) of Seminole, Florida, beat top-seed Annalise O’Bryant of Ball Ground, Georgia, 425-350, in her opening match. “I was very nervous about bowling her, actually, because I heard so many things about her,” said Diem, who made the cut to match play in her third Junior Gold appearance. “I was proud after beating her and didn’t think I would have to bowl her again.”
But O’Bryant did come back through the bracket to meet Diem. O’Bryant jumped to a big lead in the bracket final with a 204-160 victory in the first game, but Diem responded with a 210-165 victory to win the match by a single pin.
“It is very surreal,” said Diem, who holds the record for youngest bowler to shoot a 300 game (9 years, 6 months). “I did not think I would make it this far. I knew I could, but … it was a lot of work getting here.”
Elizabeth Coutta of Smyrna, Tennessee, (left in photo) took the long road to reach the girls title match in her half of the bracket. She lost to April Calatrava of Columbia, South Carolina, by 22 pins in her opening match, then worked her way through the lower bracket to come back to face Calatrava once again. Coutta would have to win twice, and she accomplished the task by scores of 296-284 and 404-319.
“I said this was the chance to redeem myself, and hopefully I don’t lose,” said Coutta, who’s been bowling for about four years. “It means a lot because I got further than last year. This year, I thought it was kind of over in the beginning and now I’ve made it this far.”
She added she’s excited to bowl on TV, because, well, she bowls better on TV. When pressed, Coutta explained her TV experience.
“Well, there was a commercial that was shot during league,” she said. “They were shooting while I was throwing, and I ended up doing really well.”
Go to BOWL.com/JuniorGold for complete results.