Southside defeated Hartselle, 1,299 to 1,147, to win a third straight North Regional Bowling Tournament championship on Jan. 18 in Vestavia Hills.
The two-time defending state champion Lady Panthers advanced to this week’s state tournament in Pelham.
Coming out of pool play as the second seed, Southside opened single elimination play with a 1,244 – 823 win over Corner, followed by a 1,311 – 1,021 quarterfinal victory over Hewitt-Trussville. In the semifinals against Sparkman, Jessica Clontz (pictured above) bowled a top individual score of 195 and Jennifer Clontz rolled a third-best 180 score to lead the Lady Panthers to a 1,336 – 1,251 win.
Also advancing to the state tournament were the Etowah girls, the Gadsden City boys and the Southside boys. The Lady Blue Devils defeated Randolph, 985 to 840 before losing to Pinson Valley, 1,030 to 1,039. The Titans opened with a 1,338 to 934 victory over Corner, then beat Buckhorn, 1,374 to 1,331, in the quarterfinals. Gadsden City then came up short to Hewitt-Trussville, 1,412 to 1.582, in the semifinal round. The Panthers posted a 1,433 to 1,140 opening-round win over Hazel Green before falling to James Clemens, 1,331 to 1,400.
Gadsden City had the top traditional scores in both the quarterfinals (Isaac Hernandez, 217) and semifinals (Thomas Butler, 227).