Prediction Records Tyson Nelson: 104 - 63 - 1 Previous Week: 5-2-1
Trevor Cook: 106 - 61 - 1 Previous Week: 4-3-1
Match #1: B. Jeffers vs. Bartram It's been back-to-back losses for Team B. Jeffers, despite Tyson Nelson's 1156 last week. Team Bartram has just one win in the second half, but it did come against another top team (2nd-place Team Gelardi) so do they have it in them to pull off another upset? They do have their two highest weeks of the season over the past two weeks. On paper, this is a bit of a mismatch but Team B. Jeffers will need better bowling somewhere in their top three positions than they got last week. This might be closer than the standings would indicate, but it's still hard not to give Team B. Jeffers the edge.
Key Matchup
Team Bartram's Colton Harris has been on something of a roll over the past few weeks, averaging 235 in his past 3 and faces Ben Jeffers in the second position. Colton is also averaging 210 since Week 8, so it's mostly just a frigid start holding his average down at a misleading 197 for the season. Another strong week out of Colton would go a long way in evening this one out. Tyson's pick: Team B. Jeffers
Trevor's pick: Team B. Jeffers
Match #2: C. Jeffers vs. Orne C. Jeffers have returned to their losing ways as we come down the stretch, with 58 points over the last 7 weeks and it doesn't get any easier for them here as they face the 3rd-place team in the league. Team Orne have had a bit of a rough go of things themselves since defeating Team Gelardi 24-7 a few weeks ago, and are starting to fall out of the aggregate race but there is still no denying the all-around strength of this lineup. It will be a tall order for Team C. Jeffers to snap their losing streak in this one.
Key Matchup Chris Jeffers vs. Jennifer Duncan in the leadoff position seems to be the prime position for the Jeffers team to take some points here, with it representing the smallest on-paper advantage for Team Orne (205-200) and Chris' average being held down by a slow start (it's 209 since Week 8). If there is an upset to be had, Team C. Jeffers will need this one.
Tyson's pick: Team Orne
Trevor's pick: Team Orne
Match #3: Stevenson vs. Hurd After snapping a 6-game losing streak with a 22-9 win last week, if you follow the trends, you'd have to pick Team Hurd to win the rest of the season as they haven't had any kind of streak lasting shorter than 6 weeks all year long. Team Stevenson has had a very strong 2nd half, just 5.5 points behind the half leaders, and they have won 8 in a row (though that does include two 16-15 squeakers). Five of those weeks are 3726+ and they are averaging 3702 in that span. Although Team Hurd does have an advantage in all of the bottom 3 positions, this should be a close matchup especially with the direction both teams have been going lately.
Key Matchup
In the third position, Jayden Nickerson takes on Kevin Naugler in what should be a great battle. Kevin has been having a great season and even spent considerable time in the anchor position, while Jayden has been averaging 245 over the past 8 weeks. Both of these guys can throw a lot of strikes when they're hot.
Tyson's pick: Team Hurd
Trevor's pick: Team Stevenson
Match #4: Cook vs. Rodych Team Cook may have been dealt a fatal blow to their A-side chances when they lost to the team they're chasing last week (considering their make-up week 28, not yet reflected in the standings, saw them only pick up 5 points), but a strong finish may still leave that in play. They'll have to start this week against Team Rodych who, despite their position in the aggregate standings, have been competitive the last 4 weeks with 2 wins and 68 points. Team Cook have the advantage throughout most of the lineup and are also desperate for points, so I have to call them the favourites here.
Key Matchup Jayson May vs. Carter Schade represents a 34-pin average gap in favour of Team Cook, and if it plays out that way, it might create a difficult hole for Team Rodych to come back from. However, Jayson is in need of a last-minute spare which could throw a wrench into Team Cook's plans here. Alyssa Campbell vs. Matt Rodych would've been a fascinating 3rd-position matchup with two bowlers who are easily anchor-calibre, but Alyssa is also needing a spare tonight.
Tyson's pick: Team Cook
Trevor's pick: Team Cook
Match #5: Devenney vs. Gelardi Team Devenney have turned the ship back in the right direction to some extent, with 2 wins in the last 4 weeks, but it gets tougher this week against the league's 2nd-place team in the aggregate. Team Gelardi are just 1-2-1 in their last 4 weeks but nonetheless it is apparent that they are the better team overall, with a higher-average bowler in all 4 positions in the lineup. There is an element of consistency at the top of Team Devenney's lineup but more upside in Team Gelardi's. Team Gelardi also boast two of the league's top-3 winning percentages in Dwayne Gelardi and Mitch Dubell. They will be tough to beat.
Key Matchup One possible point of equalization here is that both anchor position bowlers will be out this week as Jennifer Devenney and Dwayne Gelardi are both in Brandon. Depending who the spares are this could be an interesting matchup with a chance to help Team Devenney swing the match, or put it further away in Team Gelardi's favour.
Tyson's pick: Team Gelardi
Trevor's pick: Team Gelardi
Match #6: Lourenco vs. Youzwa An interesting matchup with some possible A-side playoff implications here, as Team Youzwa are not quite safe and Team Lourenco are not quite out of the mix. Team Lourenco have between 14 and 19 points in their last 6 weeks, while Team Youzwa has been a lot more erratic during that span. Although it would appear to favour Team Youzwa, the matchup does get a lot more interesting when you consider Colton's absence this week as it's always tough to replace a player like him, sitting 3rd in the league in average. With the need to find an anchor spare, the opposing Team Lourenco's advantage in the top two positions may come to play a huge role here.
Key Matchup
With both teams strong at the bottom of the lineup, we will see how the top-two bowlers set the tone. In particular, Tabatha Gelardi has a 15-point edge on Mark Prystupa so if she does her job here and Colton is away, Team Youzwa will need to find a different way to make up the difference at the bottom. That could turn the tide in favour of Team Lourenco as they look to pick up some key points. Tyson's pick: Team Lourenco
Trevor's pick: Team Lourenco
Match #7: Cousins vs. LaMonica Last week saw the end of Team LaMonica's 7-game winning streak with a tie against Team Gelardi, so it's still an 8-game unbeaten streak and they maintained their 10.5-point aggregate lead. Team Cousins continue their up-and-down play that we have seen for pretty much all season. They did pull off a win last week but have just been too inconsistent overall. Team LaMonica has a strong lineup with no weaknesses and an advantage of more than 10 pins at every position, so they come into this match as heavy favourites.
Key Matchup I keep predicting a breakout week from Gillian LaMonica and I'm sticking to it. Her 199 average is well below her capabilities and her leadoff matchup against Cyndie Barnett may represent the best opportunity Team Cousins has to snag a win here.
Tyson's pick: Team LaMonica
Trevor's pick: Team LaMonica
Match #8: Enns vs. King Coming off a clutch win against Team Cook, although one in which neither team gained or lost too much ground with the 16-15 scoreline, Team King moves on to face a Team Enns that has a solid 7-3 record in their last 10 matches. In a common theme for the week, there will be a lot of spares throughout the lineups on both of these teams so predicting it is kind of difficult. If you just go by what's on paper, however, this is one of the more even matchups you could find with no matchup swinging more than 8-points in either direction based on average and a 6-pin difference overall.
Key Matchup The anchor spare for Glen Howarth against Wayne King will be a pivotal spot in this matchup. In one this close we could see the difference maker come from anywhere. Last week, a last match 316 from Wayne helped salvage 2 points in his match against Trevor Cook, and possibly up to 5 more in the team total. Give the teams are also 3.5 points apart in the standings in a battle for the last A-side spot, that may be the most impactful single game in the league all season.
Tyson's pick: Team King
Trevor's pick: Team King
