STERLING WINS MC7 FOR SECOND CONSECUTIVE TITLE
SHATTO 39 LOS ANGELES - In a field of solid competition, it was not a given that Sterling would repeat as McCracken Classic Champion, but by day's end he posted the first undefeated record in the double-elimination era and claimed his second consecutive championship.
Two years ago at MC6 'Yonkers Joe' in Las Vegas, Sterling picked up a remarkable 7-10 split in a winner-take-all finals versus Top Gun to win his first title. MC7 'Leave' lacked that kind of drama, but Sterling did have one of those championship-defining moments when he rolled two consecutive strikes in the 10th frame to defeat McCracken by one pin, 142-141. From there it was all downhill for Sterling with wins over 1 Fast Jew in the quarterfinals and JG in the semis, where he posted the tournament's high score of 197 (it is the fifth MC where the tournament's top score was earned by the eventual victor).
JG fought back in the consolation round to meet Sterling again in the finals, but Sterling easily took the championship with a 162-127 triumph. Sterling now claims a special place in the record books: he is the only champion with two singles titles (The Heat has one single and one team victory) and he now has the most visits to the finals (four) in MC history.
Third place went to 1 Fast Jew, whose power bowling impressed until it bowed to JG's consistency in the consolation finals. McCracken placed fourth with wins over KAM, Hotate Nigiri and a 10th frame thriller over Wildcat where he rolled the split necessary to pick up the winning pins.
Thanks to the entire field for another relentless afternoon of bowling.
