The hallmark of a great team is its ability to respond to adversity. 

The Alley Cats faced a significant obstacle this weekend, and responded like champions. 

Saturday's regular season Greater Interscholastic Bowling League (GCIBL) finale pitted two of the top teams in the conference, the Wildcats and the Garfield Heights Bulldogs. 

Unlike the first contest between these two teams, the match did not turn out to be too close. The Wildcats looked out of sorts, missing strikes and leaving pins on the lane. For some reason, the Alley Cats did not perform up to snuff, dropping the OHSAA point to fall to 5-3, and losing the first three baker games before bouncing back to win the final one. 

Faced with such a tough loss, some teams might have succumbed. 

Not the Alley Cats.

Head coach Jim Viets instructed the Wildcats to go home and forget about the match before Sunday's Highland Invitational. The Alley Cats did just that.

The Wildcats played loose and relaxed on Sunday, and it paid off. The Alley Cats won the Highland Invitational in Mount Vernon, Ohio, a tournament drawing some of the best teams from the state. As Coach Viets expressed on Saturday, the tournament is great preparation for the postseason. 

Anthony Doran stole the limelight at the tournament, proving to be the day's best bowler. The senior tossed a 190, 210, 242; 642 series. Nick Frank followed close behind with a 614 series. 

Doran and Frank were named all-stars of the tournament, forming two-fifths of the all-star team. 

The past four tournaments have resulted in a third place finish or better in each for the Wildcats. Viets' squad took second at the Brush Invitational on January 16, third at the Edward Zitnik Memorial Classic on December 28, and second at the Jingle Bell Bowl on December 18. Hopefully for the Wildcats, the tournament results bode well for the team's postseason hopes. 

The Alley Cats return to action on Saturday at the GCIBL Scratch Championships at Buckeye Lanes.