Rochelle earns first team sectional berth in school history

DEKALB — Junior Faith Adams and her Rochelle Lady Hub teammates were shocked as officials announced the final results of the IHSA Regional at Mardi Gras Lanes on Saturday.

While the Lady Hubs felt confident about their chances to qualify for the sectional tournament, their focus shifted away from the results and moved toward the action on the lanes as the regional tournament progressed. Rochelle’s strong morning series had the Lady Hubs in contention for a sectional berth after three games, but an equally efficient effort over the final three games would be necessary if the team hoped to extend its season for another week.

With three teams vying for the final two sectional tickets, Rochelle conceded the third position to host school Kaneland, but the Lady Hubs held off St. Charles North in the sixth game to secure the fourth and final sectional qualifying berth. Rochelle finished with a 4,782 series score, while St. Charles North took fifth with a 4,715 and landed just short of the sectional tournament.

“I was shocked that we did it,” Adams said. “I thought we bowled the best that we have throughout my three years here. It didn’t really sink in until afterward that we were going to bowl at sectionals. We knew we had a chance going into the regional, but we were just bowling and we weren’t thinking about making the sectional. We were amazing and we managed to pull ourselves together. I’m looking forward to sharing the sectional experience with my teammates.”

Sophomore Cassidy Vincent medaled in second place individually, firing a 1,221 series score to lead the Lady Hubs in the regional tournament. Rochelle was in contention for a sectional berth after three games, posting a 2,380 team score to sit in fourth out of 12 schools. The Lady Hubs moved into third after rolling scores of 848 and 802 during the fourth and fifth games. Vincent held a 20-pin lead for the individual crown after five games, leading the Lady Hubs with 1,048.

“It means a lot to us,” Vincent said. “We went into the tournament just trying to have fun because we knew it could be our last team meet together. We wanted to work our hardest and just have a good mindset. I don’t think any of us were expecting to qualify for sectionals or make history. I was really shocked that I shot two 600-series scores in the same day and it was a huge deal for me. It really opened my eyes to how much I’ve improved throughout the season.”

St. Charles East’s Lida Burgos threw a 236 in the sixth game to leap Vincent for the individual title. But the Lady Hubs made history on Saturday, becoming the first team from Rochelle to reach the sectional tournament since the IHSA adopted the regional-sectional-state format during the 2013-14 season. Junior Anahi Alanis finished 18th overall with a 968 series, while freshman Kylie McCullough took 24th overall with a 938 series.

“We knew we had a chance toward the beginning because of how high our score was, but we realized during the tournament that we might make the sectional,” McCullough said. “It means a lot to us and I thought we all had a good attitude. I’m excited to bowl with my teammates again.”

Adams finished 25th with a 936 series for the Lady Hubs (9-7, 6-4 Interstate 8), who will compete in the IHSA Sectional at Liberty Lanes in Carpentersville this Saturday. Junior Makenzie Liezert added 505 and freshman Mackenzie Burnett chipped in 214 for the team score in the regional tournament.

“We’ve improved so much and having two bowlers in Makenzie and Mackenzie who are new to bowling and are stepping up has been huge for our growth,” Adams said. “We’ve all made huge improvements and we’ve all helped each other get better.”