Posted on: Saturday, November 13, 2004

Sacred Hearts' Tom, Maryknoll's Anwar triumph

Advertiser Staff

The Interscholastic League of Honolulu's top bowlers ended up being tops in the state.

Sacred Hearts junior Kristin Tom and Maryknoll's Vaseem Anwar captured the Billy Tees state bowling individual titles yesterday at Lihu'e Bowling Center on Kaua'i.

Hawai'i Baptist's boys and 'Aiea's girls won the team titles.

For both individual champions, it was a dramatic jump from last year. Tom finished 14th and Anwar was tied for 15th.

Tom, a junior, led ILH girls with a 176.3 average during the season. But yesterday, she bumped her average up by knocking down 1,751 pins in a nine-game series, a 194.6 average.

"It was surprising," Tom said. "I didn't expect to do that well."

She held off defending state champion Shaina Carnate by 11 pins. They were bowling in nearby lanes.

"She started stringing (rolling successive strikes)," Tom said. "I started getting nervous."

Tom had a game-high of 246 in the seventh game. She denied Carnate from winning an unprecedented third state crown. Carnate, a senior, also won as a freshman. Tom, in fact, snapped a three-year run of Kapolei individual champions. Samantha Masuda won in 2002 for the Hurricanes.

Anwar, a senior who led the ILH with a 205 average, rolled 1,968 pins in the nine-game series for 218.7 average. Roosevelt's Jarrett Mizo was second at 1,938.

"When I got my medal last year, I wanted to do it again and try for first," Anwar said. "I totally prepared myself."

Anwar rolled at least 200 in eight of the nine games. His game-high was 235 (in games four and six).

"When I started stringing four or five in a row, I tried to remember that feeling and use that to carry into the next game," he said.

'Aiea tallied 7,670 pins. Noel Campos and Christine Kealalio placed fifth and seventh, respectively, with scores of 1,663 and 1,619. Joining them on the state title team are Holly Somera, Ashley Primacio and Liane Deeter.

It was 'Aiea's first title since 1988 and third overall.

Hawai'i Baptist rolled 8,432 pins, led by Eric Tsukamoto's 1,861, which was fifth overall. Other members of the boys championship team are Peter Mochizuki, Evan Ogata, Rich Kodama, Nathan Yoshimoto and Nicolas Ogawa.

It was HBA's first crown since 1996, breaking a seven-year run of O'ahu Interscholastic Association teams, and third overall.