Feb. 22--ROCKFORD -- Lockport's rally at the girls bowling state finals Saturday at Cherry Bowl started with a spark from an unlikely source.
Freshman Bailey Delrose, slotted as the fourth bowler on her own team, turned toward her teammates, put her hands on her head in disbelief and stood, mouth gaping. Her Porters teammates mobbed her after she secured the first 300 game of her high school career with a no-doubt-about-it strike.
Lockport was cheery and confident before Delrose's perfect game, but they used the rookie lefty's flawless start to rally from fourth place to first and claim the program's fourth state title, its first since 2009.
Only Machesney Park Harlem (five) has more titles than Lockport.
"It is so great because it wasn't just about me. It was about the entire team," Delrose said. "We had such great chemistry, and the mental game was really strong today."
Collinsville started the day with a 169-pin cushion on Lockport, with Waubonsie Valley and Oswego East between the Kahoks and Porters. But the Warriors and Wolves faded early, and Lockport (12,689 pins) surged past a consistent Collinsville team before lunch.
Lockport senior Kierstin Vandenburg (221.9 tournament average) found her usual groove after Delrose's early heroics and finished second individually.
Collinsville (12,541) settled for second place, and Waubonsie Valley (12,225) recovered to take third. Waubonsie Valley was the two-time defending champion but graduated most of last year's team. This Warriors edition featured no seniors.
Lemont senior Kyra Udziela, who took the individual lead Friday after rolling a 300, never trailed Saturday en route to claiming her first title. The three-time state qualifier placed 52nd last year and 28th as a sophomore.
"I figured this year was going to be the year, and I waited until the last minute, which made me kind of nervous," Udziela said of her perfect game. "It's so amazing that I got it out here, and hopefully I'll be bowling many more in the future."
