MERRILLVILLE | Jill Larson has bumped her average over 200 -- to 204, to be precise -- for the first time in her high school bowling career.
How'd she do it? Larson says she got her head in the game.
"I can be very emotional (while bowling)," Larson said. "I've been working on my mental game, not getting made at the little things."
The Pirates' senior said, in the past, something like not picking up an easy spare could throw off her whole game.
"Bowling is my thing. That's kind of what I'm known for at school," Larson said. "If I don't do well, I beat myself up about it."
Her biggest outburst this year may have come from an argument she had on the lanes with her sister, Carly, now a freshman on the Merrillville squad.
Overall, though, she said that relationship has been a positive one on the lanes.
"We're always in competition and she even shows me up sometimes," Larson said. "Definitely in our minds we always want to beat each other."
Larson leads the Pirates into this weekend's sectional at Stardust III in Dyer against defending state champ Lake Central. Merrillville hasn't escaped the sectional since Larson's freshman season.
Win or lose this weekend, Larson will continue her bowling career at Valparaiso University next fall. She plans to officially sign with the Crusaders -- who are currently in their first year as a women's bowling program -- in April.
"I'm so excited for Valpo," Larson said. "I didn't really know where I wanted to go, but I knew I wanted to bowl."
Larson plans on majoring in education, and she would like to become a teacher.
But she's not ruling out a professional bowling career either.
"It's always been a dream of mine," she said.
PREP BOWLING | SECTIONAL PREVIEW
SCOUTING LOCAL BOWLING SECTIONALS
Advancement: Top two teams and varied numbers of individuals (5 to 9) from each sectional advance to the Portage Regional Feb. 6 at Camelot Bowl.
Duneland
When, where: Saturday, 4 p.m. (team); noon, Sunday (individual). Plaza Lanes, Highland.
Favorites: Griffith boys; Hobart girls.
Darkhorses: Highland boys; Highland girls.
Individuals to watch: Boys -- Griffith: Ryan McCoy, Jose Cisneros. Calumet: Mike Matuszczak, Shane Jett. Highland: Matt Staninger, Derrick Dziezak, Bryan Glover. Hobart: Jerry James. River Forest: Bobby Dyson. Morton: Ryan Randall. Wheeler: Zach Gilbert. Lake Station: Zak Johnston. Girls -- Griffith: Courtney Koleski, Elizabeth Kras. Highland: Katie Snowden, Kayla Riffile, Lexi Azpeitia. Hobart: Sarah Clemmons, Megan Goss, Victoria Borowski. Calumet: Felicia Harper. Lake Station: Stephanie Briggs. River Forest: Dianna Haynes. Morton: Kesly Toth. Wheeler: Brooke Klaiber.
Fast fact: Highland's boys and girls squads were both conference champs despite neither team leading the conference in total pinfall.
Porter-LaPorte
When, where: Saturday, 9 a.m. (team), 1 p.m. (individual), Camelot Bowl, Portage.
Favorites: Michigan City boys, Portage girls.
Darkhorses: Portage boys, LaPorte girls.
Individuals to watch: Boys -- Chesterton: Tyler McKinney, Jon Williams. Portage: Nick Radke, Jacob Glass, David Wilson, Brian Weaver. Valparaiso: Jacob Mayernik. LaPorte: Josh Tilling, Nick Daisy. Michigan City: Taylor Schwanke, Jared Alsip, Jacob Grams, Kevin Pakusqewski, Jacob Bowman. Washington Twp.: Mike Mathews. Girls -- Chesterton: Celia Charlson. Portage: Jackie Moyers, Megan Hammons, Kate Dwyer. Valparaiso: Leslie McCann, Sarah McCann. LaPorte: Chelsey Kamleiter, Ashlyn Perschke, Ashley Arndt. Michigan City: Oliva King, Kristah Parmley.
Fast fact: Michigan City's boys team has four bowlers who carry 200-or-better averages and a fifth, Jacob Bowman, carries a 199.
Suburban
When, where: Saturday, 9 a.m. (team), 1 p.m. (individual), Country Lanes, Lowell.
Favorites: Boone Grove boys; Kankakee Valley girls.
Darkhorses: Hebron boys; Boone Grove girls.
Individuals to watch: Boys -- Boone Grove: Lynn Strohl, Jimmy Kraushaar. Hanover Central: Craig Erickson. Hebron: Mike Fazzini, Zachary Henderson. Lowell: Matt Milcarek, Mike Bafia. North Newton: Randy Bartkiewicz. Rensselaer: Keegen Holbrook, Tyler Justice. Kankakee Valley: Casey Grover, Randy Mewes. Girls -- Boone Grove: Paige Krauschaar. Hanover Central: Alyssa Speichert, Bridget Rogers. Hebron: Emily O'Leary. Lowell: Rachel Elliot, Vickie Nichols. North Newton: Michelle Cooper. Rensselaer: Julia Junk. Hanover Central: Megan Susko. Kankakee Valley: Carly Grover, Rachel Ellenson, Anyssa Balboa.
Fast fact: The Boone Grove boys and Kankakee Valley girls are defending sectional champions.
Westlake
When, where: Saturday, 9 a.m. (team), 1 p.m. (individual) Stardust III, Dyer.
Favorites: Lake Central boys; Lake Central girls.
Darkhorses: Clark boys; Crown Point girls.
Individuals to watch: Boys -- Andrean: . Clark: Andrew Schillaci, Jeremy Rusnack, Brandon Beason. Crown Point: Eric Locher. Lake Central: Nathan Maciejewski, Kevin Rush, Ryan Gorman, Kyle Lisek, Nate Huizenga. Munster: Brandon Sparks. Girls -- Crown Point: Stephanie Edwards. Lake Central: Kaity Galka, Kelli Marx, Katie Sexton, Sam Matusik. Merrillville: Jill Larson.
Fast fact: The Lake Central girls are the defending state champions.
