ALLEN PARK – Paiton Thompson couldn’t stop crying.

The senior anchor bowler helped Grandville’s girls bowling team to its first Division 1 title with a 3-2 championship match victory Friday at Thunderbowl Lanes.

The Bulldogs shot just 116 in the first game against Holt, but won three of the next four, including 158-153 in the finale.

“I told them we had to start making spares,’’ said coach Nick Watkins. “We started throwing and making spares.’’

Said Thompson: “We didn’t get down on ourselves. I can’t stop crying. Being a senior makes this everything to me.’’

There was a clear favorite.

Utica United, a cooperative of bowlers from Utica High and Utica Eisenhower, brought a talented lineup, led by Hadley Clark, Sophia Matheson and Ava Mazza.

All three also qualified for Saturday’s singles championship.

After a series of close calls Friday, the top-ranked Utica squad fell in the semifinals to an inspired Holt team, ranked seventh in the state. That set the stage for the championship against fifth-ranked Grandville, which had raced to the finals by defeating Rockford, 3-0, with the last game a 190-189 thriller.

In the first game of the championship, Grandville had seven opens in the first nine frames in falling to the Rams,153-116.

Still with open frames galore, Grandville tied the match at 1-1, with a 148-132 win in the second game. Holt then took the lead again with a 210-161 verdict in the third.

However, Grandville rallied to tie the match 2-2 with a 181-133 fourth-game win, and then clinched with the five-pin victory in Game 5. 

With three of the best bowlers in the Macomb Area Conference Red, Utica United dominated the qualifying round, shooting a 3,404, which was almost 200 pins better than No. 2 seed South Lyon’s 3,220. Macomb Dakota was third at 3,101 and Holt fourth at 3,069.

In the quarterfinals, Utica had a miserable first game, shooting 115 and losing, but rallied to down Walled Lake Northern, 3-1. Meanwhile, Rockford eliminated Dakota, 3-2, winning the deciding game by three pins.

Holt stopped Westland John Glenn, 3-2, to advance against Utica. Grandville was the last team to reach the semifinals, defeating South Lyon, 3-2, to face Rockford.

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