COLTS NECK GIRLS BOWLING ARE STATE CHAMPIONS By Alan Brehme, Toms River North, JSN Intern

COLTS NECK GIRLS BOWLING ARE STATE CHAMPIONS

By Alan Brehme, Toms River North, JSN Intern 

COLTS NECK –  Spring is right around the corner which means the end to winter sports and the start of spring sports. Before the seasons and sports change, several winter teams are looking to close out their season on top.  This leads us to the Colts Neck girls bowling team that captured the NJSIAA Group II championship, their first state title in program history.

 

This accomplishment was done by rolling an even 2,500 team score to finish 97 pins ahead of second-place Manchester. Colts Neck finished in second place at last year’s state tournament and returned its entire senior roster this season with their sights set firmly on winning the state title they just missed a year ago.

 

The seniors on the team are Victoria Hulse and Erica Dugan and the juniors are Gianna Bamonte, Morgan Gitlitz and Juliana Galano.

 

In state sectionals, each player combined for a whopping 2,472 points in three series. Bamonte came in the top individuals category, but ranked 17th out of 18 for points scored with 542. In one game, she bowled 203 points, the second game she bowled 181 points and the third game she put up 158.

 

“We came together as a team today,” Gitlitz said of the team’s performance. “We each picked each other up and we really bowled as a team rather than as individuals.” While some of the other state champions won their groups thanks to standout performances from one or two bowlers, the Cougars won Group II because of a balanced team performance, with four bowlers rolling a 500 or higher, led by a 533 from Gitlitz and a 521 from Dugan.

 

“Not only did we add another sectional title to our resume this season, but we also won the first-ever state championship and finished third at the Tournament of Champions,” continued Gitlitz. ”As a captain, I am incredibly proud of the team and how much we have accomplished since our first year together. We truly had an amazing season and I am so thankful to be a part of the team that made school history twice.

 

“Although my junior season is officially over, I was able to finish with the girls’ highest match/league average at 214. I also had the second highest game (268) and second highest series (698) in my division. I’m very proud of myself and the team this year and I’m excited to see what next year will bring,” she concluded.

 

 

 

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