Sunday, November 10, 2024 – CENTRAL LANES BOWLING CENTER, Tamuning, Guam
Story by Rick Torres
Wily bowling veteran, coach, and third seed Manny Tagle spread out seven strikes in the first eight frames to outpoint hard-slamming fourth seed Alex Santiago to capture the Pin Point November Senior Monthly Challenge 279-227 with handicap Sunday afternoon at the Central Lanes Bowling Center.
The always-exciting Last Man Standing (LMS) competition had a repeat winner this month. October LMS winner and second seed Jess Muya pocketed a whopping $553 of the $2,366 prize fund this month. He accomplished this after taking three straight swings to increase his percentage take but wisely stopped when it came time to risk it all
by taking a chance to roll a strike for the entire LMS prize fund.
The opening round in the Bracket A shootout saw 9th seed Gina San Nicolas and 12th seed Art Dulla outpointing 5th seed Jess Meno, 7th seed John Tenorio, 14th seed Bill Roberto, and 16th seed Rick Torres. Thirteenth seed Mike Duenas and tenth seed Sheila Bangs were the top winners in the B bracket over 6th seed Jim Pinaula, 8th seed Jude Tenorio, 11th seed Mike Sanchez, and 15th seed Yvonne Acda going into the next round.
Tagle continued his title quest by getting past San Nicolas and Dulla to move into the semifinals against 2nd seed Muya. Duenas and Bangs fell to 4th seed Santiago as they headed into the semifinals. The semifinals were epic as Santiago upset top seed Edgar Nalundasan in the lower seed must beat the higher seed twice to advance format with scores of 263-182 and 231- 211including handicap. The other semi-final was a hard-fought strikefest between Tagle and Muya with scores of 323-226 and 294-251 with handicap to move to the finals.
The last game was no easy task as Tagle put the pressure immediately with a three-bagger on Santiago who was also hot coming into the final. Santiago valiantly fought back keeping a clean game without a miss but could only muster two strikes while sparing over the first nine frames. Tagle countered with four strikes following a spare in the fourth frame
to secure the win.
All the competitors have received points that add up towards the Top 24 points qualifier for the Senior Challenge Grand Finals scheduled for December 28 and 29. The December Pin Point Senior Monthly Challenge qualifiers this year are ongoing on the Friday Night Senior League. Senior bowlers not in that league can still qualify via their other Central Lanes leagues provided they are entered at the Pin Point Pro Shop in Central Lanes before their shadow bowling session ends. The grand finals for the Last Man Standing Competition will be held in early January 2025.
The 2024 Senior Grand Finals are scheduled for December 28 and 29. The top 24 bowlers based on an accumulation of points over a minimum of six tournaments are eligible for this year-ending contest. For more tournament information, please contact Joey Miranda, Manny Tagle, or Jim Pinaula at the Pin Point Pro Shop at Central Lanes Bowling Center.
Guam Bowling 