Boys Bowling: Central, East Ascension advance to state semifinals

Central of Baton Rouge and East Ascension each won three matches Monday to advance to the semifinals in the boys/co-ed division of the LHSAA bowling championships at Creole Lanes in Houma.

The Wildcats (14-1) and Spartans (14-1) will face off next Monday at 10 a.m. at Premier Lanes in Gonzales. The other semifinal matchup will be settled Tuesday when the upper half of the bracket holds its early-round matches at AMF All Star Lanes in Kenner.

Central, the No. 7 seed, rallied in the final game to defeat No. 2 seed Central Lafourche 16-11, while sixth-seeded East Ascension – a co-ed teams with three girls and three boys in its starting lineup – eliminated No. 19 seed Acadiana 23½-3½ in the other quarterfinal match.

Two New Orleans-area teams in the lower bracket were eliminated in the first round on Monday by higher seeds.

In a rematch of a non-district regular-season meeting, No. 23 seed Archbishop Rummel lost 22½-4½ to No. 10 seed Denham Springs.

The Yellow Jackets fired a 3,384 team series, led by a 644 series from Mason Ballard in the No. 3 position.

Andrew Gennaro fired a 227 opening game as part of a 564 series to lead the Raiders, which ended their season at 8-5.

Patrick Taylor suffered a heartbreaking 16-11 defeat to No. 3 seed Teurlings Catholic.

The Tigers, who finished the season at 7-6, held a 9-7 lead and a 71-pin edge in total pins after two games, but the Rebels won four of six individual matches and made up the pin differential in the final game.

Teurlings finished with a 2,858 team series, seven pins ahead of Patrick Taylor’s 2,851. Had the Tigers been able to flip the “super total” in their favor, the three points – and the outcome of the match – would have changed hands.

Preston Jones had a 572 series to lead Patrick Taylor. Jake McInnis’ 221 middle game was the Tigers’ best of the day.

St. Paul’s, which competes in the Hammond region, lost its first-round match to South Terrebonne 20½-6½.

The other three New Orleans region teams in the bracket – fifth-seeded Brother Martin, No. 12 seed Jesuit and No. 29 seed Archbishop Shaw – open their tournament play Tuesday at AMF All Star Lanes in Kenner.

LHSAA Bowling Playoffs
Boys/Co-Ed
Monday’s Matches
at Creole Lanes, Houma
First Round
(3) Teurlings Catholic 16, (30) Patrick Taylor 11
(19) Acadiana 19, (14) Byrd 8
(11) David Thibodaux 14½, (22) Loranger 12½
(6) East Ascension 21½, (27) Ellender 5½
(7) Central 18, (26) St. Thomas More 9
(10) Denham Springs 22½, (23) Archbishop Rummel 4½
(18) South Terrebonne 20½, (15) St. Paul’s 6½
(2) Central Lafourche 24, (31) Baton Rouge 3

Second Round
(19) Acadiana 21, (3) Teurlings Catholic 6
(6) East Ascension 17, (11) David Thibodaux 10
(7) Central 18, (10) Denham Springs 9
(2) Central Lafourche 24, (18) South Terrebonne 3

Quarterfinals
(6) East Ascension 23½, (19) Acadiana 3½
(7) Central 16, (2) Central Lafourche 11

Tuesday’s Matches
at AMF All-Star Lanes, Kenner
First Round
(1) Catholic-BR vs. (32) St. Amant, 11 a.m.
(16) H.L. Bourgeois vs. (17) Haughton, 9 a.m.
(9) Dutchtown vs. (24) Ponchatoula, 9 a.m.
(8) Vandebilt Catholic vs. (25) Madison Prep, 11 a.m.
(5) Brother Martin vs. (28) St. Michael, 11 a.m.
(12) Jesuit vs. (21) Holy Savior Menard, 9 a.m.
(13) Hammond vs. (20) Lafayette, 9 a.m.
(4) Captain Shreve vs. (29) Archbishop Shaw, 11 a.m.

Second Round
First-round winners, 1:30 p.m.

Quarterfinals
Second-round winners, 3:30 p.m.

Semifinals
April 26 at Premier Lanes, Gonzales
(6) East Ascension vs. (7) Central, 10 a.m.
Quarterfinal winners from Kenner, 10 a.m.

Championship
April 26 at Premier Lanes, Gonzales
Semifinal winners, 2 p.m.