MUSKEGON – On Saturday at Northway Lanes, Alex McCarthy’s performance seemed to indicate that March madness has already begun.

McCarthy emerged as the six seed to win the Division 4 Singles Finals championship, after previously winning the 2023 title as the 10^th seed.

“I believed in myself and just had to execute, and I did,” said the Saginaw Nouvel Catholic Central standout.

After winning it all in 2023, McCarthy did not reach the Finals as a junior – which he used as motivation entering this season.

“I wanted to redeem myself, and I did. It feels pretty good,” said McCarthy.

The senior collected 1,815 pins in the tournament including 499 in the final round against Houghton Lake’s Maison Christian, who tallied 351 pins.

“He's done fantastic, and this year it’s very special because obviously it’s the 100th MHSAA championship plus he was the conference champion, plus Regional champion, now state champion,” said Saginaw Nouvel head coach Brian Montini.

Exceptional bowling from Le’Veon Greewade of Taylor Trillium Academy and Jonesville’s Andrew Sackett led them to the semifinals as well.

McCarthy’s championship run was aided by an unconventional strategy that ended up paying off.

“I made a switch on the fly to the gem, and it worked out. I found a groove,” said McCarthy.

McCarthy’s growth since his first championship as a sophomore was evident when looking at the pin differential that he produced this year. The 1,815 pins he knocked down were 198 more than during his 2023 championship run.

As McCarthy’s career came to a close, the two-time champion reflected upon his career and offered words of advice to incoming freshmen.

“Never lose faith and just keep grinding,” he said. “Keep working, and you never know what could happen.”

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