By Terry Boehmker
NKyTribune sports reporter
After Boone County bowling teammates Kara Strong and Taylor Evans finished first and second in the Region 6 girls’ singles competition for the second consecutive year, they led the Rebels to their sixth straight regional team championship last week.
Strong won the singles showdown in a tie-breaker after she and Evans finished with matching scores of 182. They both qualify for the state high school tournament on Feb. 8-9 at Executive Strike and Spare in Louisville. Last year, Strong was state runner-up in singles and Evans placed sixth.
Boone County defeated Cooper in the Region 6 girls’ team final. The series went five games with the Rebels winning the last two by scores of 175-154 and 213-184. Both regional finalists advance to the state team tournament.
Covington Catholic won the Region 6 boys’ team title, 3-1, over Lloyd. In the boys’ singles final, Steven Elgowsky of Cooper defeated Logan Bolton of Beechwood, 162-154.
In Region 5, Highlands won the girls’ team title and Simon Kenton came out on top in the boys’ bracket. The singles champions were Andy Campbell of Highlands and Mirena Combs of Newport.
There was also a Unified Team bracket, where one bowler with intellectual or physical disabilities and a partner without disabilities competed in a doubles format. Teams from Simon Kenton and Ryle qualified for the state tournament in that division.
The state tournament begins Thursday Feb. 8 with boys’ and girls’ singles competition. After two qualifying rounds, the top four bowlers based on scores will compete in a stepladder bracket to determine the champions.
In the state team competition on Friday, Feb. 9, qualifying rounds will determine seeds for a 16-team single-elimination bracket in both boys and girls. Teams will then compete in matches leading up to the championship finals.
Lane assignments and schedule for the 2018 state bowling tournament will be posted on the khsaa.org website after all the regional tournaments are completed. Here is a complete rundown of the Region 5 and 6 state qualifiers:
BOYS TEAMS
Region 5 – Simon Kenton and Campbell County
Region 6 – Covington Catholic and Lloyd
GIRLS TEAMS
Region 5 – Highlands and Campbell County
Region 6 – Boone County and Cooper
BOYS SINGLES
Region 5 – Andy Campbell (Highlands), Jonathan Cummins (Simon Kenton), Cameron Bechtol (Campbell County), Austin Hitt (Campbell County).
Region 6 – Steven Elgowsky (Cooper), Logan Bolton (Beechwood), Reiley Ulanday (Cooper), Michael Reynolds (CovCath).
GIRLS SINGLES
Region 5 – Mirena Combs (Newport), Kaylee Hitt (Campbell County), Abby Bach (Highlands), Aleah Staggs (Campbell County).
Region 6 – Kara Strong (Boone County), Taylor Evans (Boone County), Ashley Bruce (Beechwood), Sierra Brandt (Cooper).
UNIFIED TEAMS
Region 5 – Kline-Kaiser (Simon Kenton), Cassidy-Musick (Simon Kenton).
Region 6 – Rosen-Kyle (Ryle), Kucuk-Moore (Ryle).