NORTH BRUNSWICK – Michael Milligan had to endure some tense moments in qualifying for the state individual bowling finals.
When the Pompton Lakes senior finally got going in Wednesday’s tournament at Bowlero Carolier Lanes, making the cut was never the question.
Milligan shot the best series of the day by a North Jersey bowler, a career-high 756, which put him third in the boys field and well above the 18th-place cutoff to reach Round 2. He also shared third-high game honors (279) with Mahwah senior Tyler Klein.
Although Milligan leveled off a bit – he finished 15th with a six-game 1,284 – the right-hander could only marvel at his improvement. At the Feb. 1 North 1B sectional, he’d made the cut for states by thee pins.
“The fact that I qualified at Lodi [Lanes] with a 643, then came here and started off with a 756, was by far one of the greatest experiences I’ve ever had,” Milligan said.
Boys recap
Milligan and Klein each rolled their 279s in the second game. The latter became the first Mahwah bowler to reach the second round since the format began in 2002.
Six Bergen/Passaic competitors reached the second round, including Hawthorne’s Hunter Perry (12th, 1,300); Park Ridge’s Joe Mahoney (13th, 1,300) and Leonia’s Jin Hyuk “Andy” Hong (18th, 1,171).
-Story by Greg Tartaglia – Record Sports Department
