Elco's Morgan Kline successfully defends L-L League girls bowling championship

Taylor Miller got the rematch she was looking for.

Unfortunately, the result wasn’t.

Elco senior Morgan Kline defeated Miller 212-199 to repeat as the Lancaster-Lebanon League girls bowling champion Monday at Clearview Lanes.

Having qualified first, Miller was in a good spot — or perhaps not; more on that later — with a bye all the way to the final after totaling 1,303 pins. It was the opposite of last year when Kline qualified first, then took the title 224-203.

“From the first frame, I just felt so confident and it just felt effortless,” Miller said. “When she was bowling her semifinal match, I was like, I want to bowl her, I want a rematch. I got to, but unfortunately that split in the 10th was a real mood-killer.”

2024 L-L League girls bowling championship [photos]

Kline, who has already committed to bowl at Wichita State next season, admitted that, even though she qualified second and won the title, it wasn’t the best of days for her.

“Honestly, I really struggled today,” said Kline, who trailed in both her matches of the stepladder finals. “I’m just glad I pushed through it. I dug very deep.

“It was just one of those days today.”

While the split in the 10th ended up proving costly to Miller, things didn’t get off to a smooth start for Kline in the final. Bowling first — as the higher seed, Miller had the option of rolling first or second — she rolled a 7-10 split on her first ball.

“Honestly, I just laughed it off. I do it a lot,” Kline said. “It’s just one of those things I can’t control.”

Making matters worse, Miller opened with three strikes. However, Kline found her line and followed up the split with two strikes.

Another split for Miller came in the fourth frame when she rolled a 3-9-10. And then came the nearly-impossible 4-6 split in the 10th that left the door wide open.

Kline came through in both her matches with key strikes in the eighth and ninth.

“I just feel like those last few frames,” she said, “I sat myself down at the break and told myself to do what I know I can do.”

“She fought through hard,” Elco coach Pam Rittle said of Kline. “She struggled at some parts, but she fought through and pulled it out in the end.”

For a time, it appeared Elizabethtown senior Ella Eberle would storm into the final after rolling a 219 to win her first-round match, a 234 in the second round and a 181 in the third, after qualifying sixth.

Eberle led early against Kline, but the tight match swung Kline’s way when when Eberle opened in the eighth and Kline got her strikes in the eighth and ninth for a 190-171 win — despite an open in the 10th.

Kline’s qualifying total of 1,109 pins was nearly 200 less than Miller.

“I was definitely confident, having the No. 1 seed all day,” said Miller, who will have one more shot at the title next year.

Some bowlers like having the time off until between qualifying and the final, but not so much for Miller.

“It’s just rough, kind of sitting, for that two hours, or whatever it is,” she said. “Everyone else gets to at least bowl one match on me; Morgan had one match on me.”

Among those reaching the stepladder finals were a tightly bunched trio of Penn Manor bowlers: senior Eva Brubaker (qualified fourth, 1,069), senior Corinne Smith (fifth, 1,060) and junior Kayle Wasche (sixth, 1,059). They finished seventh, eighth and ninth, respectively.

Those three were part of a Comets team that was runner-up in the state girls tournament last season.

Section One champion Manheim Township had a pair of bowlers, both juniors, also advance: Hope Broich and Bethany Jaquith. They finished fourth and fifth, respectively. They were part of the team last year that won the state boys title.

Lampeter-Strasburg senior Katie Pope finished fifth and Manheim Central sophomore Kit MacFeat was 10th.

Next up will be the District Three Championships, set for Feb. 24 at Hanover Bowling Centre. It is for individuals only; there is no team tournament.