January 14, 2024 Nolan Hughes

Four finalists were determined in the national youth bowling tournament, which will air March 23 on FS1.

Gianna Brandolino of Channahon, Ill. and Kayla Starr of Crofton, Md. will meet in the finals of the girls division, while Dmitri Richardson of Denver will face Ernesto Reynoso of Folsom, Calif. in the boys division.

The 10 boys and 10 girls finalists, who advanced from regional qualifiers held last summer, each bowled 10 games of round-robin match play on Sunday at Bowlero Northrock in Wichita, Kan. The 44-foot EJ Tackett oil pattern led to a high-scoring affair, much like this week’s PBA Players Championship presented by Snickers.

The nation’s top youth bowlers showcased a flair for the dramatic.

Brandolino entered the position round in fourth place, trailing then-leader Victorya White by 40 pins.

With a focus solely on remaining in the top five to make the stepladder, Brandolino said she waffled between two different balls during the three-minute practice session. Her first option left a flat-10 in the first frame, so she made the switch and never missed again.

The 17-year-old fired the back-11 strikes and shot 290 to surge into the top qualifying position and secure a berth in the televised championship match. 

The first and second-place match was high scoring as well — with Kayla Starr defeating Victorya White 254-231 — but Brandolino’s 290 her to leapfrog them both for the top seed.

Starr earned the No. 2 seed, which put her one game away from the televised finals as only the No. 2-5 seeds competed in the stepladder.

Avery Domaguin of San Diego defeated Abigail Starkey and Victorya White to face Starr. However, Starr got the 234-225 win and will look to avenge her 2021 PBA Jr. National Championship runner-up finish.

More information on the girls division of the PBA Jr. National Championship is available here.

Meanwhile Colorado’s Dmitri Richardson found himself in a winner-take-all position round match with Texas’ Keegan Alexander. The teenage Richardson demonstrated his immense poise in the high-intensity moment.

“The less pressure I put on myself, the easier it is to bowl better,” he said. “Stringing strikes is almost impossible if you think about stringing strikes.”

With that mindset, he pulled out a 225-220 victory over Alexander to punch his ticket to the television championship.

Alexander had a chance for redemption in the stepladder, needing just one win to set up a rematch with Richardson.

Elias O’Holleran defeated the fifth-seed Spiros Schenk, then fell to the No. 3 Reynoso in the next match.

Reynoso rode the momentum from his 269-190 win over O’Holleran into a 228-222 victory over Alexander.

The 16-year-old California native, who won the 2023 U15 Boys Junior Gold Championships, beamed with excitement about bowling on national television again — but not for the reason you'd expect.

"I'm just excited about the doubles," Reynoso admitted.

Reynoso will team up with the reigning PBA Player of the Year, EJ Tackett, to face Richardson and the latest first-time PBA Tour champion AJ Johnson in a five-frame baker match.

Starr and Valerie Bercier, the 2019 PWBA Rookie of the Year, will face Brandolino and Lindsay Boomershine, who won the 2023 USBC Queens.

The winners of each five-frame doubles match advance to a full-game baker match for the championship.

More information on the boys division of the PBA Jr. National Championship is available here.

The champions will each receive $7,500 in SMART scholarship, with the runner-ups adding $3,750 to their college funds.