Cira Arcangel's career day leads Sachem girls bowling
Cira Arcangel is all smiles after rolling a strike. Scores of 257, 258 and 248 raised her average to 229.9 on Thursday, Jan. 11, 2024. Credit: Neil Miller
With the top four girls bowlers in action at East Islip Lanes on Thursday evening, it was Cira Arcangel who had a career day.
Arcangel bowled a 257, 258 and 248 across three games, for a career-best 763 series as Sachem (5-1) defeated Central Islip 38.5-1.5 in a Suffolk I matchup. The senior raised her average more than four pins, from 225.0667 to 229.9444.
“I just had fun out there and didn’t put too much pressure on myself,” Arcangel said. “I just make sure there’s nothing on my mind, except going out there and bowling.”
Arcangel capped off her final frame of Game 2 with three strikes and at the end of Game 3 ended things with a strike and a spare. Her 763 series is the third highest among Suffolk girls this season.
Leighanna Tolan of Central Islip (3-5) came into the match with the second highest average (231.5714) on Long Island among both boys and girls. She rolled a 248, 242 and 181 in her three games for a 661 series, dropping her average to 230.1667.
“Sometimes you can put too much pressure on yourself, trying to beat one another,” Arcangel said. “We want each other to do well, but I think it brings out the competitiveness in us when we face off.”
East Islip girls also prevail. Just a few lanes away, a strong trio was leading East Islip (7-0) to a 37-3 victory over Eastport-South Manor (0-5). Dakota Collins started off the third game with eight consecutive strikes and picked up a spare in the ninth frame. She finished the game with a 268 and the day with a 703 series.
“You have to re-focus and the first thing is to pick up the spare,” Collins said. “Just tune everyone out, it was a little louder than usual in here, but I’ve been bowling for a while and gotten used to it.”
Brooke Andresen got off to a hot start in Game 2, picking up six straight strikes. The sophomore finished Game 2 with a 225 and had a 601 series.
Kailyn Bloch came into the match with the second highest average for a girls bowler and overtook the top spot with a 690 series. She holds a 230.9058 after rolling a 211, 233 and 246 across three gaes.
“All three of us have been in the top 15 since our freshman years, so we definitely strive to be better than one another,” Collins said. “We push each other to be better.”
Christopher Matias covers high school sports for Newsday after spending time in Athletic Facilities and Operation at St. John’s and in Sports Information at CUNY York college.