Zapanta sizzles in February roll-offs

  After losing the title in last month’s roll-offs, Raphael Zapanta this time finished on top of the field, winning the SBA/Budweiser King of the Lanes February tournament played at the Capital Bowling Center.

Zapanta, who was the Day 1 leader in the January competition before Robert Talavera overtook him in Day 2, bowled in last Monday’s tournament and his four-game total of 758 pinfalls was enough to dislodge Sunday leader Percy Omechelang (720) from the No. 1 spot at the end of the two-day event. Omechelang dropped to third, as Jae Yong Kim also joined the second day of the monthly contest and placed second with his 726 pinfalls.

Zapanta got off to a strong start in the final day of the competition, knocking down 223 pins in Game 1. He then slowed down in Game 2 with 151 pinfalls before closing out with 199 and 185 in the last two games for an average of 189.50 pinfalls. Kim posted 170-plus pinfalls in the first two games (178 and 172) before improving his performance in the last two games (189 and 186), but still fell 33 pinfalls short of surpassing Zapanta’s score. Omechelang tied Zapanta for the highest score in a single game when the former logged 223 in Game 1 in Day 1. Omechelang’s three other scores were 168, 155, and 174 for an average of 180 pinfalls, around 13 pinfalls better than his Day 2 average of 167.75.

Bowlers are allowed to compete in both days of the event, but only the higher score is counted.

In the Queen of the Lanes, Diane Camacho only bowled in the final day and her four-game total of 701 pinfalls eclipsed the 633 Yho Villavicencio recorded in Day 1. Villavicencio came back in Day 2, but her 672 pinfalls was only good enough for third place. Gloria Omechelang completed the Top 3 with the field’s second-best 678 pinfalls.

Camacho’s win in the February roll-off was highlighted by a 203-pinfall performance in Game 2. She had 168 in Game 1 and 177 and 153 in Games 3 and 4 for an average of175.25. The newly crowned February Queen of the Lanes was the only female kegler to post 200-plus pinfalls in the two-day event.

In the Fiji Water Prince/Princess of the Lanes, Marion McKenzie made it two in a row. He tallied 709 pinfalls in four games to beat M.J. Aldan (669), Ryan Batac (552), Angel Iglecias (516), and Toby Verdaguer (436).