Fairfield Girls Bowling Clinches Share Of GMC Championship

FAIRFIELD — Nick Glomb made sure his Fairfield High School girls bowling team knew exactly what was at stake when the Indians faced Hamilton on Monday at the Game of Fairfield.

A win would clinch for Fairfield at least a share of its third consecutive Greater Miami Conference championship.

The pressure didn’t bother Glomb’s veteran squad, senior Lauren Zink said.

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“In bowling like this, there’s always pressure,” Zink said. “He made very sure we knew that we had to win this. We told him to bring it.”

The Indians responded like champions. Deploying an all-senior lineup, Fairfield overcame a Big Blue team made up of two sophomores and three freshmen for a 2,252-2,095 victory.

The win, the Indians’ 14th straight over Hamilton since a Big Blue triumph in the first season that the GMC sanctioned bowling in 2004-2005, left the Indians 13-2 overall and 7-0 in the conference. Hamilton and Oak Hills are both 5-2, and Lakota West is 4-2.

Fairfield needs only one more win in its last two matches — against Sycamore on Wednesday or West on Feb. 12 — or losses by the three top contenders to clinch a third consecutive outright title. That would be the longest stretch of consecutive outright titles since Oak Hills won the first four GMC championships.

“We don’t want a share,” Glomb said. “We want it all.”

The Indians’ win on Monday also extended to 28 their stretch of consecutive GMC wins, dating back to a loss to Oak Hills on Feb. 1, 2016.

“This is my third year on varsity,” said Zink, who led Fairfield against Hamilton with a 397 two-game series. “It’s awesome to be ending it undefeated in the GMC.”

Zink finished two pins ahead of teammate Jenna Arthur. Fellow seniors Meaghan Huffer, Mikenlee Bowcock and Kelci Miller also finished in the 300s — Huffer, leading the team and second in the GMC with a 189.5 average, at 358, Bowcock at 347 and Miller at 307.

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“Obviously, it feels good,” Zink said. “I’m glad to be able to do my part.”

Glomb didn’t start feeling really good about Fairfield’s situation until the Indians squeezed out a 21-pin win over Oak Hills last Thursday.

“It literally came down to the last Baker game,” he said. “We’ve had some girls move up from junior varsity and contribute. It’s really been a total team effort.”

Monday’s match was less stressful. Fairfield finished the first round with a 192-pin lead and expanded that to 201 after Round 2. Hamilton won the first Baker round by 52 pins, but Huffer came up with an impressive spare of a difficult split and followed with a strike in the 10th frame for a seven-pin win in the second Baker round. The Indians edged the Big Blue by one pin in the last Baker round.

The final 157-pin margin was for Hamilton an improvement over the 354-pin gap of last season’s match. Sophomore Madison Detherage led the Big Blue with a 381, followed by freshman Lilly Arvin at 365.

Hamilton (9-4) finished 8-7 overall and 4-5 in the GMC last season. Thanks to the improvement, coach Nick Arvin was optimistic in spite of the loss.

“We’re looking forward to the next few years, especially if they keep working hard and bowl in the summer leagues,” he said.