Strike Kings Vs Snipers Post Game

Game I – Strike Kings 804 vs. Snipers 775

Game II – Strike Kings 765 vs. Snipers 821

Game III – Strike Kings 781 vs. Snipers 744

Strike Kings – 15 points
Snipers – 8 points

This matchup was a win for the Strike Kings but not the decisive win one might have expected considering the fact that the Snipers only had three of their regular starters.  Eddie gets “side-swept” by Gage – who was instrumental in the Snipers taking game II.    

In game I, the Strike Kings held steady throughout the game.  Nisar took his point against Patrick with a 167 vs. 80.  Ammad (barely) took his against the blind with a 109 (plus 46 pins handicap).  The blind was being filled in by a fellow named Frank.  Don Ali took his point against Guerrier with a 194 vs. 175.  Gage had a big game of 223 and took his point against Eddie who bowled a 199.  The Strike Kings take the game but not by a wide margin.    

In game II, Raheel came in for Ammad and bowled a 106.  While Ammad had an off game earlier, Raheel just didn’t adjust to the lanes – throwing down the middle with a hook and expecting good things to happen just isn’t a good strategy at East Meadow.  Despite the low game Raheel (with handicap) takes the point against the blind.  Nisar lost his point against Patrick while Eddie lost his point against Gage, who was on fire this game as well with a 213.  Don Ali took his point against Guerrier, 215 vs. 195 but it wasn’t enough.  The Strike Kings lose by over 50 pins. 

In game III, Nisar takes his turn with an under 110 game by bowling a 106 – losing his point against Patrick.  Raheel takes his point against the blind with a 146 (plus 54 pins handicap).  Eddie gives away his final point to Gage by not adjusting the breaking-down of the starting oil pattern and bowling a 139.  Gage only bowled a 144, coming off the two great games earlier.  Don Ali bowled a 247 vs. Guerrier’s 206, completing the sweep of this individual matchup.  The Strike Kings win the game by less than 40 pins. 

Another week and another disappointment for the Strike Kings.  When your 180 average bowler gets swept you can’t expect to win decisive victories.  Same goes for when 3 members of your team bowl a game BELOW 110.  Spreading those low scores across three different matchups and three different team games only puts more pressure on the other members of the team.  It also shows something that needs to be worked on – namely adjusting better to the lane conditions of the day.  Better bowlers traditionally bowl better as the day goes by.  On a good day, game II is better than game I and game III is better than game II.  Don Ali followed this pattern while Eddie and Nisar did not in this matchup. 

As we all know, showing up can sometimes be half the battle.  The Snipers were in a tough position with only three regular starters.  Had they had a fourth starter, they could have easily taken 12 points (or more) instead of only 8.  Guerrier bowled a decent series overall (576) and Gage had two great games.  If only a 4^th started was there for this matchup.