Entering the 2015–16 season, the Eastern High School girls’ bowling team had a new look with three freshmen in its starting lineup.
Head coach Eric Datis admitted he didn’t know what to expect of the girls’ team, especially after the team lost its first match of the season, 3–1, to Washington Township.
“They beat us in the first game of the year. My three freshmen were averaging a 115 to 120,” Datis said. “When the first match started, I saw on their faces how scared and nervous they were.”
After that defeat, the Vikings went on a tear, going undefeated the rest of the season. More than two months later, the same starting lineup that struggled in the season-opening match was bowling on the biggest stage possible, competing as one of the top 24 high school teams in New Jersey at the NJSIAA state championships. It was the first time in at least six years the Vikings advanced to states.
Hailey Dadi only had one other series worse than her 327 on opening day and bowled a 400-series in four of the last seven matches of the year. Cloe Lowell had three series of 470 and above in the season’s last six matches. Ryann Werner bowled a 400-series in four of Eastern’s final five matches.
All three were outstanding in a grudge match against Washington Township in January, when the Vikings swept the Minutemaids, 4–0, to clinch their fourth straight Olympic Conference American Division title.
The three freshmen combined to bowl a 1,350 in the rematch, a huge improvement from the combined 980 they scored in their December meeting with Washington Township.
Datis credited Dadi, Lowell and Werner for working hard in practice and focusing on improving their technique.
“With the three that came in, they came in just liking the sport,” Datis said. “They listened, they learned and they picked up how to house bowl.”
As well as the three freshmen performed, Eastern wouldn’t have advanced to the state championship without two returning members. Juniors Kristina Scimone and Anna Hileman carried the load for the Vikings throughout the season and were clutch toward the end of the season.
Scimone was Eastern’s leading scorer for the second straight year. She bowled a 500 series in all but two of Eastern’s matches this season and bowled a 600 series in the final three regular season matches.
Scimone saved her best for the state championships, shooting a 243 in one game. The score was the seventh-highest in the entire state tournament.
Even though Scimone was the Vikings’ top scorer, Hileman was a big reason Eastern was able to get into the top two at the South Jersey sectional tournament and advance to the state championship. Hileman had the 22nd best series in the tournament, narrowly missing qualifying for the NJSIAA individual championships. Her score was good enough to help boost the Vikings to second place in South Jersey Group IV.
“As the season went along, she started to really pick up her numbers,” Datis said. “It was a nice surprise. She bowled higher than average at sectionals.”
Entering sectionals, Datis knew his team had a tall task ahead. South Jersey Group IV included Shore Conference schools such as Brick Memorial, Toms River North and Jackson Memorial, which bowl higher scores than most of Eastern’s regular season competition.
“It would take them bowling three 800 games,” Datis said. “That’s all I was asking of them. Bowl your 800 game three times and see where we fall.”
Eastern was paired with Jackson in sectionals and outscored the competition.
The Vikings met their goal of averaging 800 in all three games and finished the sectional with a score of 2,449. They edged Toms River North by 115 pins for second place and a spot at the state tournament.
At states, Eastern finished in fifth place out of six Group IV teams with a score of 2,479, slightly higher than its sectional total. Datis was pleased with the Vikings’ performance in the tournament.
“Our group was one of the strongest groups in the entire tournament,” Datis said. “It was totally a great score for them.”
The best part of having a young team is the future. Datis expects all five starters to be back next year and is hoping his team will be able to return to the state championships.
“I do expect the five that were out this year to come back next year,” he said. “That alone is such a good thing. My expectations for them are going to be higher next year.”
