Tony Cruz is March Prince of the Lanes

Tony Cruz used a strong finishing kick to top the March Prince/Princess of the Lanes Tenpin Bowling Tournament held Sunday night at the Saipan Bowling Center.

Trailing three bowlers going into the fourth and final game, the 16-year-old Marianas High School student caught fire and proceeded to knock down a tourney high 192 pins and edged erstwhile leader Donna Hensley by a mere three pins, 626-623. He finished with a 156.5 average to Hensley’s 155.75.

Cruz couldn’t have had a less stellar start as he began his campaign with uninspiring score of 120. He improved to 171 on the second game before falling to 143 in the third.

Hensley, in contrast, was a picture of consistency in her first three games. The 18-year-old registered a 157 in her first game and followed that up by knocking down 172. She scored 156 on her third game before missing her mark with a lowly 138 in the fourth.

Joshua Alegado and J.C. Vales finished third and fourth with four-game pin totals of 614 and 598, respectively.

Alegado had a pedestrian 136 start but made up for it with scores of 164, 158, and 156 in his next three games. The 13-year-old Mt. Carmel School student went on to norm 153.5 for the tournament.

Sixteen-year-old Vales, for her part, mirrored Alegado’s Game 1 struggles with a 133. The Marianas Baptist Academy student, however, came back strong with roll-offs of 169, 156, and 140 to finish with an average of 149.

The Top 10 for the month’s Prince/Princess of the Lanes was made up of J.D. Torres (562 pinfalls), Ken Yoshimoto (535), Leeanne Yarobwemal (534), Christilyn Camacho (522), and Mayanne McKenzie (520).

The first day of the March Pepsi King of the Lanes Tenpin Bowling Tournament, meanwhile, saw Robert Talavera top the leaderboard with a four-game series total of 891 pinfalls, good enough for a 222.75 average.

In the Queen of the Lanes tournament, Diane Camacho is currently holding fort with a series score of 685 or 171.25 pinfall average.

The final day of the two-day tournament concluded last night, but results were still not available as or press time.

The Prince/Princess of the Lanes as well as the Pepsi King and Queen of the Lanes tenpin bowling tournaments are organized by the Saipan Bowling Association.