Rebels reach quarterfinals at bowling championships

The Vestavia Hills boys bowling team reached the quarterfinals of the inaugural AHSAA State Bowling Championships, held on Jan. 29-30 at Oak Mountain Lanes in Pelham.

The girls and boys teams put together great regular seasons, each putting up 10-0 records in their regions. At the regionals in Tuscaloosa, the boys team put together a strong enough showing to advance to the 16-team state championship.

Day 1 of the championships was to determine seeding, as the Rebels latched on to the No. 6 seed, where they took on No. 11 James Clemens -- overall winner in the regionals -- in Round 1 on Day 2. Vestavia Hills won easily, defeating the Jets 1,852-1,543.

The Rebels looked to be in good shape in the quarterfinal round against Mary G. Montgomery. In the six-round game, Vestavia won the first four rounds and jumped out to a 70-pin edge. But MGM stormed back, blowing the Rebels away in the final two rounds and bowling a sensational 222 in the final round.

Spain Park would go on to win the title, defeating MGM in the semifinals and Stanhope-Elmore in the finals.