Bellmore-Merrick Girls Bowling Shoots Down MacArthur

The Bellmore-Merrick girls bowling team took down MacArthur 7-4 on Monday afternoon behind solid performances from Calhoun seniors Nicole Celauro and Kate Brown.  

The girls showed their improvement in bowling consistently throughout the duration of a match as their three game scores differed by just 12 points. Bellmore-Merrick took the total pins over the Lady Generals 1,938-1,816.  

"The girls did great sticking to their average and being consistent," head coach Keri Cinelli said. "We are in a good position now in our conference."  

Brown and Celauro led the way in the first game with strong scores of 187 and 185, respectively. Mepham junior Paige Laupheimer and Calhoun freshman Kayla Cappuzzo matched each other, both shooting a score of 139. Bellmore-Merrick picked up the first points with an early 650-614 advantage.  

Brown posted her team's high score of the match in the second game with a 209. Mepham senior Laura Rooney came into the game to bowl a 157, followed by Cappuzzo with a 145. A regular starter in Mepham senior Victoria Sorrentino was substituted into the game to post a score of 139. Bellmore-Merrick matched its score from the first game, but a breakout game by the Generals where they shot more than 100 pins above their average, gave them the win 660-650.  

Celauro came back into the game to lead the team with a score of 192. Brown rounded out her afternoon with a 160, followed by Rooney with a 149. Sorrentino wrapped up the scoring for the day with a 137. Bellmore-Merrick slipped in the final game, but pulled out the match-clinching win 638-542.  

"I think we did better this time around against them because we have really progressed as the season goes on," Celauro said. "I think we've been growing so much that when we play Levittown next, we could really beat them."  

Bellmore-Merrick advances to 5-2 on the season and stands as one of the top teams in the county at this point. Despite that, the girls are looking to keep their scores more consistent as they get deeper into the season.  

"They just need to be a little more consistent on a daily basis," Cinelli said. "We will have to step up and keep our high games high and avoid those low drops in scores." 

Bellmore-Merrick will take on conference-leading Levittown Division on Jan. 3 at 4:15 p.m. at Levittown South Lanes.