Knocking them down: Lake Orion girls barrel over Oakland County field
BY DAN STICKRADT
SENIOR EDITOR
dan.stickradt@northoaklandsports.com
MADISON HEIGHTS — Katie Gladstone proved that she earned the nickname ’Money’ Saturday afternoon.
The Lake Orion senior and All-State bowler was clutch in the final stages of each game in helping the Dragons reach a milestone — their first Oakland County Bowling Championship at Fairlanes Bowl in Madison Heights.
Gladstone came through on multiple occasions all day and fired a perfect 10th frame in the team finals against Clarkston to lift the Dragons to the team trophy.
“I just took my time. I don’t watch. I just want to get up there and strike out,” smiled Gladstone, the Division 1 state runner-up last year. “When I get up there, I get into my own little zone. I just tried to stay (positive) all day and score good.”
With defending champion Waterford Kettering being knocked out in the Round of 16, that left the door open for a new county team champion. After finishing fourth out of 25 schools in the qualifying block at 3383, the Dragons advanced to the Round of 16 — and thus put together a magical four-win run.
INTENSE: Kate Gladstone of Lake Orion concentrates on bowling a strike during Saturday's Oakland County Girls Bowling Championships. Photo | Larry McKee, www.lmckeephotography.com
In each round, Lake Orion advanced by wins of less than 10 points, downing South Lyon (311-306), Milford (328-321) in the quarterfinals and White Lake Lakeland (371-362) in the semifinals. In the finals, Clarkston edged OAA rival Clarkston by just six pins, 379-373.
“We just battled all day,” said Lake Orion coach Kevin Crowther. “We had a lot of close games in match play. Kate Gladstone came through in the end a couple of times. She rallied us in the quarterfinals and came through in the finals. She was money all day, clutch. That’s what you need in a tournament like this.
“We knew that if we played well that we could be among the better teams here today,” continued Crowther. “The whole team played well. To win a tournament like this, you have to play well the whole day. We have been building towards this year. We have a lot of experience on this team and that showed today.”
Lake Orion, which reached the quarterfinals last season, won its first county crown in any sport since the Dragons’ girls golf team did the trick in the spring of 2007.
“This is one of the biggest meets of the year,” added Crowther. “Obviously the state meet is the biggest, then the regional, then the county. Winning the county is still huge. It means a lot.”
It was the best-ever finish for Clarkston in the girls county tournament. The Wolves defeated Farmington Hills Mercy (355-323), Oxford (372-335) and Walled Lake Central (349-284) to reach the finals. White Lake Lakeland defeated Walled Lake Central in the third-place match, 327-307.
“We’re really excited about this. One of our girls was absent today, Jenna Fetter, and we have three freshmen on the team,” said Clarkston coach Elanor Hallman. “There was a lot of pressure on the other girls to step up and they did. We were surprised getting all the day to the finals. We were seeded 11th.”
In Saturday morning’s singles competition, Kettering’s Brittney Antoneli posted a three-game total of 691, finishing eight pins ahead of Lake Orion’s Gladstone.
North Farmington’s Rae’ven Turner was third (371), followed by Oxford’s Colleen Walters (649), Clarkston’s Stephanie Lavely (641), Oxford’s Caitlyn Wroblewski (640), Milford’s Jessie Demeter (610), Walled Lake Western’s Lindsay Brown (608), Holly’s Erica Davies (602) and Milford’s Theresa Bashara (602) in the top 10 of a field of nearly 150 bowlers.
North Farmington’s Turner had the highest single-game total of the day, finishing a 266, the best by 18 pins. Walled Lake Western’s Brown (248), Lake Orion’s Gladstone (246), Oxford’s Wroblewski (246) and Kettering’s Antonelli (245) were next in line.
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Category: Auburn Hills Oakland Christian, Clarkston, Featured Articles, High School, Lake Orion, Oxford, Prep Wraps, Troy, Troy Athens
