Marshall Kent Headlines PBA Cheetah Championship Finals
Marshall Kent, three first-time finalists and BJ Moore advance to stepladder finals of PBA Cheetah Championship
The stepladder finals for the PBA Cheetah Championship, the first singles event of the PBA World Series of Bowling XV, features two PBA Tour champions and three first-time finalists.
Marshall Kent earned the top seed for next Monday’s championship round, airing at 7 p.m. Eastern on FS1, followed by Mikey Schlabach, Deo Benard, Alec Keplinger and BJ Moore.
The top 16 players after 15 games of qualifying on Monday and Tuesday on the 35-foot Cheetah pattern advanced to match play on Tuesday night at Thunderbowl Lanes in Allen Park, Mich.
The four players who won their Round of 16 and Round of 8 matches — Kent, Schlabach, Benard and Keplinger — advanced to the stepladder finals with qualifying position determining seeding. The fifth seed was awarded to Moore, the highest qualifier who lost in the Round of 8.
After qualifying as the No. 2 seed, averaging more than 248, Kent twice had his back against the wall in the best-of-five-games match play. He trailed Jesper Svensson 0-2 in the Round of 16, then fell behind Cody Shoemaker 0-2 in the Round of 8.
Each time, Kent responded with resilience and won the match. As the highest-seeded qualifier to win both of his matches, Kent earned the No. 1 seed for the stepladder finals.
“My opponents bowled really great matches. I just happened to catch more breaks to be honest,” Kent said. “Jesper bowled amazing; he shot 818 his first three games. Cody bowled unbelievably down the stretch, especially when he needed it. He made the shots he needed to. I was just fortunate today, so hopefully that fortune can carry over into Monday.”
While trailing Shoemaker 2-0, Kent threw a gutter (off a spare) in the fourth frame of Game 3. It was the match’s turning point, a moment where many players, perhaps including a past version of Kent, would have faltered.
Instead, Kent threw seven consecutive strikes to win Game 3, then 11 strikes and 298 to win Game 4. In Game 5, he started with the front-five strikes before converting two single-pins and heaving a few more strikes to clinch the match.
The other three players to win their Round of 16 and Round of 8 matches are all first-time finalists: Schlabach, Benard and Keplinger.
Schlabach, a 27-year-old from Goshen, Ind., defeated Nick Pate and BJ Moore to reach his first career championship round on the PBA Tour. Schlabach cut his teeth on the regional tour and owns four career PBA Regional Tour titles.
“We’re lucky enough in the Central Region to have Graham Fach, Matt Sanders and EJ Tackett bowl these events,” Schlabach said. “It’s cool to get a glimpse (of the national tour), but to be here and in this moment is incredible. The regional tour gets you ready for this, but the moves here are bigger, they’re faster and these guys are just so much better. It’s insane to say that I’m sitting here ready to bowl for a title with them.”
In Game 4 against Moore, Schlabach took the early lead but missed a 3-6 spare in the sixth frame. He bounced back with four consecutive strikes to clinch the win and his first berth in a PBA Tour stepladder finals.
“I have this practice routine when things are really bad. I’ll tell myself, ‘You need three strikes in the 10th — figure out how to do it.’” Schlabach said. “I’ve had so many practice sessions where I would do that and I would always imagine what it would feel like to lock up a show or a title. I will tell you: All that practice doesn’t come close to what that shot felt like out there. It was a lot of years, a lot of time, a lot of patience. I had so much support from my friends and family. That shot meant more than I could ever explain.”
Benard, who made his TV debut last month in the PBA Legacy Cup: Legends and Rising Stars, earned his first championship round appearance with wins over Ric McCormick and William Svensson.
Against Svensson in the Round of 8, Benard fired 277 and 300 to take a 2-0 lead. He started to lose his stellar ball reaction and lost a close Game 3, then hung on for a 206-202 win in Game 4.
“It’s unbelievable really,” Benard said. “I didn’t expect it to come this fast. I’m just glad I made it through the PTQ this week. I’m speechless still. My mind is running a hundred miles an hour. This is the greatest feeling of my life. This is everything I’ve dreamed of since I was a kid.”
Keplinger fired nine consecutive strikes to close Game 15 of qualifying and make the match play cut by just two pins. In match play, he defeated top qualifier Justin Knowles and Nate Purches to make the show.
“It’s pretty crazy how big of a difference two pins can make,” Keplinger said. “(This season) is definitely a lot better now. From grinding my way through PTQs every week and getting through this one, which was a big one, it feels great to be able to capitalize on it.”
Keplinger graduated from Wichita State last spring following an exemplary collegiate career. He earned three NCBCA All-American selections, including First Team and MVP honors in 2021-22, and led the Shockers to two Intercollegiate Team Championships titles in his four-year career.
The 22-year-old said his rookie season on the PBA Tour hasn’t gone the way he had hoped — until now. The son of Sandra Jo Shiery, a PWBA Class of 2024 Hall of Famer, will make his PBA Tour television debut an hour and 40 minutes from his hometown of Coldwater, Mich. and in the same building where he won the 2019 U20 Boys Junior Gold Championships.
Last year, Moore led PBA Cheetah Championship qualifying and earned the top seed. He took a different path to return to the championship round this year, averaging 246 to qualify third for match play.
“This pattern plays into my favor,” Moore said. “I can throw it hard and I can throw it steep. I think my rev rate helps it not go in the gutter and splash some pins around. There’s not really too much of a thought process, it’s just making sure that I see it right for a little bit and then it’s off to the races.”
Moore defeated Darren Tang in the Round of 16, but fell to Schlabach in the Round of 8. As the highest-seeded qualifier defeated in the Round of 8, by virtue of Kent’s victory, Moore earned the wild-card berth and No. 5 seed in the stepladder finals.
“I've always been kind of torn on this one,” Moore said. “It's cool to make it, but obviously you want to earn it getting into that spot. I know through qualifying you kind of do that, but I’d like to have won my match and made it that way, but I'll take the second chance.”
The PBA Cheetah Championship finals will air Monday, April 15 at 7 p.m. ET on FS1.
Qualifying for the PBA Scorpion Championship begins at 11 a.m. ET Wednesday. Additional qualifying rounds take place at 6 p.m. ET Wednesday and 11 a.m. Thursday before the cut to match play.
The full PBA WSOB XV schedule is available below.
Cheetah Championship Match Play Results
Round of 16
No. 16 Alec Keplinger def. No. 1 Justin Knowles, 3-1
No. 8 Nate Purches def. No. 9 Jason Belmonte, 3-2
No. 2 Marshall Kent def. No. 15 Jesper Svensson, 3-2
No. 7 Cody Shoemaker def. No. 10 Matt Zweig, 3-0
No. 3 BJ Moore def. No. 14 Darren Tang, 3-1
No. 6 Mikey Schlabach def. No. 11 Nick Pate, 3-0
No. 13 Deo Benard def. No. 4 Ric McCormick, 3-1
No. 12 William Svensson def. No. 5 Eric Jones, 3-0
Round of 8
No. 2 Marshall Kent def. No. 7 Cody Shoemaker, 3-2
No. 6 Mikey Schlabach def. No. 3 BJ Moore, 3-1
No. 13 Deo Benard def. No. 12 William Svensson, 3-1
No. 16 Alec Keplinger def. No. 8 Nate Purches, 3-2
Full scores and standings are available here.
WSOB Schedule
Thunderbowl Lanes | Allen Park, Mich.
All times Eastern
Tuesday, April 9
11am — Cheetah Championship Qualifying Round 3 (five games)
- Top 16 players advance to elimination match play
6pm — Cheetah Championship Match Play Round of 16 (best of five games)
8:30pm — Cheetah Championship Match Play Round of 8 (best of five games)
- Four winners and highest-defeated qualifier in Round of 8 advance to Cheetah Championship stepladder finals, airing live April 15 at 7pm on FS1
Wednesday, April 10
11am — Scorpion Championship Qualifying Round 1 (five games)
6pm — Scorpion Championship Qualifying Round 2 (five games)
Thursday, April 11
11am — Scorpion Championship Qualifying Round 3 (five games)
- Top 16 players advance to elimination match play
6pm — Scorpion Championship Match Play Round of 16 (best of five games)
8:30pm — Scorpion Championship Match Play Round of 8 (best of five games)
- Four winners and highest-defeated qualifier in Round of 8 advance to Scorpion Championship stepladder finals, airing live April 16 at 7pm on FS1
Friday, April 12
11am — Shark Championship Qualifying Round 1 (five games)
6pm — Shark Championship Qualifying Round 2 (five games)
Saturday, April 13
11am — Shark Championship Qualifying Round 3 (five games)
- Top 16 players advance to elimination match play
- Top 16 players through 45 games of Cheetah, Scorpion and Shark Championship qualifying advance to World Championship round-robin match play
6pm — Shark Championship Match Play Round of 16 (best of five games)
8:30pm — Shark Championship Match Play Round of 8 (best of five games)
- Four winners and highest-defeated qualifier in Round of 8 advance to Shark Championship stepladder finals, airing live April 17 at 7pm on FS1
Sunday, April 14
Noon— Roth/Holman PBA Doubles Championship finals on FS1
1pm — Pro-am
Monday, April 15
7pm — PBA Cheetah Championship finals on FS1
Tuesday, April 16
7pm — PBA Scorpion Championship finals on FS1
Wednesday, April 17
7pm — PBA Shark Championship finals on FS1
Thursday, April 18
10am — World Championship Match Play Round 1 (eight games)
5pm — World Championship Match Play Round 2 (eight games)
- Top nine players advance to PBA World Championship stepladder finals
Saturday, April 20
7pm — PBA World Championship semifinals on FS1 (seeds 5-9)
Sunday, April 21
Noon — PBA World Championship finals on FOX