BBCHS takes first at All-Area girls bowling meet

KANKAKEE – Wednesday was National Girls and Women in Sports Day, an annual day of celebration and support of female athletics. Fittingly, it was also the day of the All-Area meet for five local girls bowling teams.

Bradley-Bourbonnais, Kankakee, Herscher, Bishop McNamara and Peotone all met at the Brookmont Bowling Center in Kankakee for the final event for each team before regionals Saturday. Individually, Kankakee senior Serena Birr came in first with 601 points, outpacing Bradley-Bourbonnais junior Brianna Dyer and her 539 points.

But it was the Boilermakers that got the edge on the Kays overall. Bradley-Bourbonnais took the All-Area crown with 2,308 points to Kankakee’s 2,156. Herscher came in third place with 1,829 points, Bishop McNamara was fourth with 1,700 and Peotone placed fifth with 1,579 points.

In her first year as the girls bowling coach, Regina Ekhoff was ecstatic to see her team take the title.

“It was absolutely fantastic to see the girls come out in first place,” she said. " ... They are a fantastic team. They bonded so well together, and most of them have been playing together for many years.”

Although Dyer came up short of the individual title, she bowled a 222 in her third and final game after her first two were a bit below her standard. The 222 was the second-best score in a single game for a bowler on Wednesday, behind only Birr’s high score of 224.

“I loved that I was able to shoot the way I did,” Dyer said. “My first two games were rough, but I knew I had to shoot high to put the team back in it and place… To see how far my team has come from the beginning of the season to the end of the season has really been a pleasure.”

Wednesday was host Kankakee’s final appearance at their home venue and senior Serena Birr made the most of it. Her 601 points gave her the All-Area individual title, and her score of 224 in her second games was the highest score for any bowler Wednesday.

“It’s honestly very crazy that I’ve actually gotten this far since this is only my third year,” she said. “I’m very happy and proud of myself and my entire team, because we’ve all come a long way. I love my team and everything has been amazing so far.”

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Kankakee's Serena Birr bowls during the All-City girls bowling meet at Brookmont Bowling Center in Kankakee Wednesday, Feb. 5, 2025. (Daily Journal/Mason Schweizer)

Kankakee head coach Larry Sykes said that he was happy for Birr to get another win in what has been a strong season.

“This is her fourth individual win for the season, and she’s going to continue her bowling career in college,” he said. “She’s had a spectacular season. We have a couple of big events to go in regionals and sectionals, and she’s done very well.”

Although Kankakee was officially the host for All-Area, Bishop McNamara, Bradley-Bourbonnais and Herscher also call the Brookmont Bowling Center home.

Herscher head coach Gene Kanak said he has been happy with the team’s improvements throughout the season, but it is tough to see things starting to wrap up.

“I think they performed very well, but it’s kind of bittersweet when you know the season is kind of coming to an end,” he said. “It’s kind of a sad one because four of my five girls this year are seniors, so this is their last competition here as members of our program.”

Cassie Benjamin was the top finisher for the Tigers on Wednesday, scoring 443 points including a 171 in her final game.

For Bishop McNamara, head coach Jim Hawkins said he liked seeing his team enjoy their time at All-Area, while also having some players continue their strong seasons.

“The girls are having a great time this year, they’re having fun,” he said. “We’ve got a couple in Tori Torres and Laura Moore that are really doing well, so I’m happy as can be for these girls.”

Torres led the team with 457 points while Moore finished second with 393 points.

Peotone had junior Olivia Smaga finish third individually with 513 points. She is the most experienced bowler on the Blue Devils’ roster, and head coach Kim Pagliarulo said she was happy to see the team continue its growth.

“We had a really strong night, and girls are improving,” she said. “We have a lot of first-time bowlers, so we’ve grown to 17 players this year. And a lot of seniors are in their first year bowling, so they’re working out those kinks. But they’re coming together and we’ve had a really nice season.”