Photo: L-R: 2nd Place Gregory Borja, Champion Noah Taimanglo and 3rd Place Paul Kaneshiro.
PRESS RELEASE – A Brooklyn strike stopped short by scrambling pins left a pin ten that made the difference in the finals match between top seed Noah Taimanglo and 4th seed Gregory Borja. Even with Borja struggling during the match, he was able to force Taimanglo to strike and spare on the tenth frame as he finished with a 171 game.
Taimanglo struck on the tenth frame then sent the second ball to the Brooklyn side that looked like a sure strike, but as the pin ten was trying to make its way down, the pin nine got in its way thus stopping the pin from falling. The 12 year old calmly delivered his spare ball and covered the pin to earn a one pin win with a 172 total which included 33 pins of handicap and his first title of the 2013 season.
In a rematch of the July finals, 2nd seed Paul Kaneshiro took an early lead on Borja with a double on the third and fourth frame during the scratch semi-final match. The lead increased in the seventh frame as Borja was unable to convert a 2-4-10 split. However down eighteen pins through seven frames, Borja mounted an assault on the pins stringing four strikes closing out the match with a 210 game and forcing Kaneshiro to double in the tenth frame. Kaneshiro responded with a strike but left a pin ten on the extra frame which meant he needed a spare on the fill frame to tie the match. Kaneshiro’s spare attempt dropped into the gutter advancing Borja to the finals match up 210-209.
Borja strung a four bagger which erased the 51 pin handicap deficit then closed out the match with a five bagger as he tormented 3rd seed Robert Barlongo in the first match 241 to 129+51.
Noah Taimanglo led the qualifying round held earlier in the day with a 753 total including 132 pins of handicap. Kaneshiro finished second with 717 pins, followed by Barlong’s 703 (204) and Borja’s 698 which rounded off the top four who proceeded to the elimination round.
The next Guam Youth Bowler of the Month event will be held on Saturday, September 6, 2014 at the Central Lanes Bowling Center.
(AP/Carlos Osorio)
