American Garden champion in OFBC Friday Morning League Season 2

American Garden was crowned champion in the OFBC Friday Morning League that brought down the curtain on its Season 2 after six months of grueling battles at the Ice Land Bowling Center here.
The second seed American Garden earned a championship clash with No. 1 RTJ Transient House by beating D’ Luf’s Strikers 836-803 in the third match of the stepladder finals that began with No. 4 TSFJ Pin Crusher putting away D’ Cyclone 2 882-770.
The next match saw third seed D’ Luf’s Strikers stop TFSJ 836-820 though the Strikers’ progress stopped right there in light of what turned out to be American Garden’s unstoppable march to the championship title.
RTJ had been installed the hands down favorite for the title as the form team of the tournament.
But American Garden of team manager-captain Robert Stone had other ideas.
Buoyed by a rich handicap at 166 compared to 104 for RTJ, American Garden totaled 946 including handicap to set the tone of the championship match with two-game series format. Rudy Jamon’s RTJ squad could only muster 848 and was behind by 98 pins going into the decisive second game.
Lexter Atienza and Stone rolled big scratch games of 191 and 180 for American Garden to make up for modest contributions from Archie Alcantara 140, Hyeett Ann achai 138 and Christine Stone 131.
Ed Cordova was the only player at RTJ to offer some semblance of a fight on 180 with the rest way off their averages notably Class A Hadi Pacheco on 149.
RTJ won the second game 883-793 but the deficit was simply too much to overcome handing American Garden the title on two-game series totals of 1,739-1,731.
During the awarding ceremony on Friday, all participating teams received their prizes, team trophy plus cash. All 12 players of champion American Garden each received their individual personalized trophy.
Special awards for both female and male bowlers were given away in the following categories: High game scratch Akang Victorino and Joel Nidoy, high game with handicap Hyeth Ann Achai and Jhun Ejanda, high game series scratch Malou Nidoy and Ed Cordova, high game series with handicap Kristhea Mae Busico and Cesar Pagtalunan, highest average Malou Nidoy and Joel Nidoy, Most Valuable Players Kristhea Mae Busico and Ed Cordova.
The OFBC-FML Season 3 will start on June 6, organizers said.