Jason Sterner keeps his title as PBA King of the Lanes
Jupiter, Florida – During the 2022 Guaranteed Rate PBA Tour season, Jason Sterner made his presence known.
The New York native has earned $73,085 while cashing in seven out of 13 tournaments. He feels confident in his game, and it showed as the reigning champion of the PBA King of the Lanes inside Bowlero Jupiter.
In the opening match, Sterner sat comfortably on his throne as he watched PBA Hall of Famer Norm Duke go head-to-head with Carlos Granados, the 2021 PBA Regional Players Invitational winner. Duke, who was making his first return to the lanes since the 2022 USBC Masters in April, rolled four straight strikes while Granados was perfect through five.
Granados’s sixth shot came in a bit high leaving a 4-pin, which he converted for a 13-pin lead.
Duke left a washout in the seventh frame that led to an open frame and his Venezuelan opponent took advantage. Granados, the 2021 PBA South Region Rookie of the Year, closed out the match with six strikes-in-a-row for a 279 game to Duke’s 232.
“That was a dream come true and an honor to be here,” the 24-year-old Granados said.
In match two, Sterner took off his crown and knew he had to get lined up quickly against Granados who seemed dialed in. Sterner decided to throw a different ball on each lane. A Brunswick Quantum EVO Pearl on the left and a Brunswick Defender on the right.
He was perfect through six to earn a 32-pin advantage.
“I was happy that I committed to that and got out to a good start,” Sterner said.
He then made the match a little interesting, picking up the headpin and then missing the 4-pin to give Granados an opening. Granados continued to impress with a 234 game. Sterner needed two strikes and 1-pin in the 10th. He struck out for 257 to keep his crown and royal title.
“This was awesome,” the 38-year-old Sterner said after the win. “It’s becoming more comfortable to be in that atmosphere where before I was kind of scared of that moment. Now, I am just embracing it and enjoying it while you can.”
The next PBA King of the Lanes show will air at 9 p.m. ET Friday on FS1 with a rematch of the finals of the 2022 PBA Playoffs between Kyle Troup and Tommy Jones. The winner will look to take Sterner’s title and throne.
MATCH SCORES
Match 1 – Granados def. Duke 279-232
Match 2 – Sterner def. Granados 257-234