Feb. 21--ROCKFORD -- Coming into this weekend's state tournament, Joliet West had yet to hit on all cylinders in the postseason. Still, the Tigers noticed a favorable pattern developing.
"One of my teammates, Alexis Wagner, she said something really funny," Joliet West senior Taylor Bailey said. "She said 'We came in third at regionals and second at sectionals, now let's finish first at state.'"
The Tigers did just that Saturday, capturing the program's first state title with a 12-game total pin fall of 12,613, 137 more than runner-up Freeport at the IHSA girls bowling state tournament at Cherry Bowl in Rockford.
Buffalo Grove junior Jessica Soskich captured the individual title with 2,749 pins, a 229.1 average over 12 games.
Gracie Plese (second, 2,736) and Bailey (11th, 2,617) paced Joliet West, which took the lead after the second game Friday and never relinquished it.
The Tigers saw their lead over Lockport shrink to 82 pins following Saturday's morning session, but extended it with scores of 1,051 and 1,080 in the fourth and fifth games. A 969 in the finale was plenty to wrap up the title and finished the second-best team score in tournament history.
The state championship is Joliet West's first in any sport since the boys track and field team won the Class AA title in 1990.
"This means so, so much," Plese said. "We've been putting in so much work the last four years just to even make it to state. To say we're state champions is just an unreal feeling."
Tigers coach Jeff Bailey became the first coach to win boys and girls bowling championships, having coached the Plainfield South boys to the title in 2010.
Soskich, a first-time state qualifier, opened the day's fourth game with 10 straight strikes and finished with a 286 to move up from fourth to first.
That came after she shot a 182 in the third game.
"Going into the lunch break after that tough game, my family and friends and teammates just kept me relaxed and kept encouraging me," she said. "I just got it rolling in the afternoon."
Soskich also had games of 268 and 246 on Saturday.
"I didn't know where I was in the standings until after I came off the lanes and my coach (Jean Tripam) said 'You've got this,'" Soskich said. "I just hugged her and started crying. I'm on cloud nine right now. This is an amazing accomplishment and I worked so hard for it."
Lockport (12,398) finished third. Salem's Lauren Hays (2,696), Machesney Park Harlem's Mylee McCracken (2,675) and Freeport's Montana Hughes (2,665) rounded out the individual top five.
Steve Millar is a freelance reporter for the Chicago Tribune.
Top teams: 1. Joliet West 210.2 avg; 2. Freeport 207.9; 3. Lockport 206.6
Top individuals
1. Jessica Soskich, Buffalo Grove, 229.1
2. Gracie Plese, Joliet West, 228.0
3. Lauren Hays, Salem, 224.7
