The 20th annual Morris Anderson Memorial Shootout was held this past weekend at North Hill Bowl in Minot. 118 Bowlers made the annual trip to the Magic City for a chance at the $4000 top prize.
Saturday’s qualifying round started with a word from Minot Mayor Tom Ross followed by tournament announcements from Rory Selk. North Hill Bowl ownership then presented Jeff Kragh with a special recognition award for 40 years of service to the bowling center. The national anthem was once again performed by Jackson Selk, great grandson of the late Morris Anderson.
The 8-game qualifying round was conducted on a custom 42 foot pattern with a 2.63-1 ratio and over 30 mls of oil. The pattern produced decent scores throughout the round allowing for multiple angles to the pocket. Reigning NDBowling.com Player of the Year, Jon Breckel, paced the field on Saturday with an 1827 8-game block. Breckel, who had knee surgery in late November, received a free entry into next seasons’ Shootout for being the top qualifier. Rounding out the top 30 was a tie for 29th between Jeremiah Smith and Craig Muri with a 1632 total.
Although there were many close attempts including the front 10 by Jason Hanson, the $3300 300 game pot was not claimed and will grow another $300 next season.
Qualifying Scores Page 1
Qualifying Scores Page 2
Qualifying Round on NDBowlTV
On Sunday, the top 30 bowlers returned to North Hill Bowl for Match Play. Ryan Savoy led for most of the day, but defending champion Paul Bober would make a run late to claim the top overall seed on the NDBowlTV Finals. Bober would be joined in the finals by 2019 champion Brady Stearns, Savoy, Jerad Schmitt, and 2017 winner Nick Heilman.
Match Play Scores
Match Play Round on NDBowlTV
Stepladder Results:
Heilman def. Schmitt, 247-223
Savoy def. Heilman, 194-178
Stearns def. Savoy, 279-175
Stearns def. Bober, 215-194
Stearns and Bober were able to maintain focus following a minor delay in the championship match due to a dog running loose on the lanes. The dog was captured safely and returned to its owner unharmed.
The win gives Stearns his second Shootout title and 3rd NDBowling.com Major win. Great bowling, Brady! Stearns will head to Mandan next weekend where he will defend his title at the 2023 KFYR TV Bowling Classic.
Big thank you to Rory Selk, Jeff Kragh, and the staff at North Hill Bowl for once again putting on a great tournament. This tournament has become a favorite for so many bowlers over the last 20 years and it wouldn’t be what it is without the great people involved behind the scenes. Special thanks to Andy Mills and Blake Wallstrum for sitting in the NDBowlTV booth offering great insight over the weekend and thank you to everyone who tuned in to watch!
