Kaua‘i girls undefeated; boys suffer first loss

LIHU‘E — The Kaua‘i girls bowling team, clinching the Kaua‘i Interscholastic Federation title last week, continued to keep its undefeated record unblemished Thursday during the fifth of six KIF bowling matches.

The Kaua‘i boys, also clinching its KIF title last week, dropped all three of its games, for its first second place finish in the season.

In the first two games, the Red Raider boys dropped to Kapa‘a, 655-744 and 661-73,1 before dropping its third game to Waimea by just one pin, 738-739.

Overall, Kapa‘a, despite dropping to third place in the third game, picked up the win, accumulating a 2,103 pinfall over three games compared with Kaua‘i, which ended in second at 2,054 pins and Waimea at third with 2,010 pins.

Clarence Sembrano, Jr., sitting second in the boys’ individual averages with a 180.56 over nine games (1,625 pins), rolled a 202 and 177 in the first two games to lead the Kapa‘a win, getting help from Kawika Wellington, who was strong with rolls of 161 and 189 in the first two games before taking the lead in the third game with a 148.

Wellington currently sits No. 4 in the boys’ individual averages with a 166.00 over nine games on a 1,494 pinfall.

Mark Walten, Jr. was a strong No. 3 for Kapa‘a, rolling a 150 and 142 in the first two games.

Randy Iloreta, normally the strong No. 1 for Kaua‘i and currently leading the boys individual averages with a 189.78 over nine games, dropped to the No. 3 spot in the opening game, rolling a 128 to William Jordan Balbin’s 154 and Keoki Palau’s 138.

He rolled a 150 in Game 2, but that was only enough to raise him to the No. 2 spot below the 161 rolled by Palau.

The battle continued in the third set, Iloreta peaking with a 181 to regain the top spot, Palau exploding to roll a 178.

Chase Ueno, currently No. 3 in the boys’ individual averages with a 169.00 (1,521 pins), peaked in Game 3 with a 166 to lead the Menehune win.

Patrick Cowell, after finishing No. 5 in the first game and rising to No. 3 in the second game, peaked at 155 for the No. 2 spot for Waimea. Kalei Nakaya filled in the No. 3 spot on a day’s high 152 followed by Weston Souza and Gilson Bence Guillermo adding rolls of 134 and 132, respectively for the win.

Girls games

Darcie Vea, currently leading the girls’ individual averages with a 164.00 over a 1,476 total pinfall over nine games, set the pace for the Red Raider ladies, opening with a high of 170 and completing the day with rolls of 146 and 137 to lead Kaua‘i girls to a 2,024 pinfall over Waimea’s 1,818 pins and Kapa‘a’s 1,714 pins.

Despite being in the No. 3 spot, Kapa‘a’s top bowler, Angelika Celia Questin, rolling a 172, two pins better than Vea, to open and finishing with rolls of 168 and 142, sits at the No. 2 spot in the girls’ individual standings with a 161.89 average on an accumulated 1,457 pinfall over nine games.

Malia Garcia of Kaua‘i sits in the No. 3 individual standings with a 159.11 pinfall over 1,432 pins. She finished the match in solid No. 2 for Kaua‘i with rolls of 125, 124 and 104.

Lacie Montemayor sits in the No. 4 individual standings with a 157.67 average over a 1,419 pinfall, Thursday rollings a 148, 162 and 150 to lead the Waimea girls.

With one regularly scheduled match before the state tournament opens the doors to the Lihu‘e Bowling Center, the race is on for the open individualist spot.

Contenders for this open position include Questin of Kapa‘a and Montemayor of Waimea, separated by nearly 40 pins.

On the boys’ arena, Sembrano, Jr. and Ueno are the two contenders, Sembrano holding a 1,625 pinfall and 180.56 average over nine games compared with Ueno’s 1,521 pinfall and 169.00 average over nine games.

The first pins fall at 5:30 p.m. Thursday at the Lihu‘e Bowling Center.

• Dennis Fujimoto, photographer and staff writer, can be reached at 245-3681 (ext. 253) or dfujimoto@ thegardenisland.com.