14-Year-Old Bowler Lutsey Prevails From Field Of 51

Youth was served last weekend during the Junior Bowlers Tour event at Sports Page Lanes.

Ron Lutsey, 14, who bowls out of Lilac Lanes, prevailed in a field of 51, most older, and including bowlers from Portland, Seattle, Walla Walla and Omak.

Lutsey, who qualified for the TV-style roll-off finals in the No. 2 position, bested top-qualifier Amanda Keller, 17, of Portland 194-190 for his first JBT championship.

Keller, one of the top bowlers in her area, male or female, rolled a big split in the 10th frame of the see-saw final match.

No. 5 qualifier Brian Aylesworth of Spokane knocked off first Chris Laurie of Coeur d’Alene, then Brian Long of Spokane before falling to Lutsey and winding up third.

Jim Cotter had top game for the boys, a 259, while Kim Seifert’s 244 led the girls.

Next JBT is March 24 at Diamond Bowl.

Awards

Four soccer players are among the six Community Colleges of Spokane athletes to receive Northwest Athletic Association of Community Colleges Academic Leadership Awards for the fall sports season.

Soccer players honored: Christen Bailey, Mead High School graduate, two-year letterwinner, women’s team MVP, 3.12 grade-point average; Kenneth Krestian, Ferris, two-year letterwinner, men’s team captain, 3.50 GPA; Kristen Peterson, Sehome, two-year letterwinner, also ran track, 3.25 GPA; Matthew Riley, Gonzaga Prep, two-year letterwinner, men’s team captain and MVP, 3.27 GPA.

Other winners: Scott Daratha, cross country, Mead, two-year letterwinner and team captain, 3.60 GPA; and Sheryl Hovde, volleyball, Castle Rock, two-year letterwinner, team captain and MVP, 3.90 GPA.

Basketball

The Silver Valley had one champion in the Idaho state finals of the Elks National Hoop Shoot Free Throw contest last weekend at Wallace.

Tabatha Poulson of Kellogg won the 12-13-year-old girls division, making 24 of 25 shots.

Other winners: Jeff Trout, Moscow, boys 12-13 in a shootout after hitting 23 of 25; Brandon Stokes, Jerome, boys 8-9 (24-25); Kerri Chase, Boise, girls 8-9 (16-25); Geoffrey Herzog, Pocatello, boys 10-11 (22-25); and Emily Florence, Boise, girls 10-11 (21-15).

The winners advance to the regionals in Portland, with those winners advancing to the nationals in May at Springfield, Mass.

College scene

Nichole Affeldt of Medical Lake (Northwest Christian High School) is a freshman outfielder on the George Fox women’s softball team in Newberg, Ore.

Eamon Twohig of Spokane (Lewis and Clark) is a freshman member of the Vassar College men’s volleyball team, which has started the season 7-4. The Brewers from Poughkeepsie, N.Y., are defending champions of their NCAA Division III conference.

Gymnastics

Gail Larsen won the Level 10 all-around title with a score of 35.30 to lead Spokane Elite Gymnastics at the Washington State Winter Games last month in Yakima.

Larsen also was first on the bars and second in floor exercise in the competition’s top event.

Other Spokane Elite first-place winners: Level 9, 14-year-olds: Lindsay Brandle, vault and floor. 13: Meloney Monaghan, vault and bars.

Level 6, 11-12: Katie Dinsmore, all-around, vault and floor. 8-10: Elizabeth Kelley, floor.

Level 5, 7-8: Kristen Williams, all-around. 10: Rachel Matthews, tie all-around; Jenna Morales, vault; Katie Bezdicek, beam; Valorie Darling, bars.

Racquetball

Sandpoint High School junior Erin Brannigan medaled twice last weekend at the ProKennex U.S. National High School Racquetball Tournament in St. Louis, Mo.

Brannigan, 17, finished fourth in boys singles among 104 entries with a 4-2 record. Mark Bloom of New Orleans defeated Brannigan 15-8, 15-14 in the third-place match. Brannigan ranks fourth among U.S. boys 16 and under.

Brannigan teamed with Dan Darling of Seaside, Ore., to place second in boys doubles. Californians Rocky Carson and Tyler Stiggins defeated Brannigan and Darling 15-14, 15-8 in the final.

Synchronized swimming

Three members of the Spokane Silver Mermaids will be in Irving, Texas, for the Junior Nationals Synchronized Swimming Championships Wednesday through Sunday.

Beth Moore (Northwood Junior High) and Megan Murphy (Lewis and Clark) will compete in the duet event and be joined by Nikki Velategui (University) in the trio. They qualified at the Junior West Zone earlier this winter in Cheney.

Trapshooting

The Champion of Champions events of The Spokesman-Review Inland Empire Trapshoot will be held Saturday at the Spokane Gun Club. This is a change from previous years, when the Champion of Champions coincided with larger contests.

The Champion of Champions will be a non-registered shoot. Squadding starts at 8 a.m., shooting at 9.

An awards dinner is set for 6 p.m.

Info: Spokane Gun Club, 926-6505.

Miscellany

Pete Cenarrusa, secretary of state for Idaho and a former national boxing champion for the University of Idaho, is the featured speaker at the 34th Idaho Athletic Hall of Fame, North Idaho Sports Banquet on March 30 at The Coeur d’Alene Resort.

A no-host gathering starts at 6, with dinner and awards at 7:30. Tickets are available at The Coeur d’Alene Resort, Les Schwab Tire stores both in Coeur d’Alene and Moscow, and the Smoking Lamp in Moscow.

, DataTimes