Las Vegas beat the Portland to wins the First PBA Elias Cup title 2024, Anderson claims the PBA Elite League MVP

Since the franchise’s inception in 2020, the Las Vegas High Rollers have been knocking on the door of the PBA Elias Cup. This year, they broke the door down.

The top-seeded Las Vegas defeated the Portland Lumberjacks in the PBA Elite League presented by Snickers Elias Cup Finals to win the franchise’s first title. The High Rollers fell behind 0-1 before rattling off three consecutive wins to win the Race-to-Three match at Portland, Maine’s Bayside Bowl.

Andrew Anderson, who was voted the regular season’s Most Valuable Player, was also named the Mark Roth PBA Elite League Playoffs MVP.

The Lumberjacks sprinted out to an early lead fueled by the insertion of Wes Malott into the lineup. The 47-year-old veteran has battled numerous injuries and sat during Monday’s semifinals, but the man Portland calls their “Franchise” found a way to compete.

Meanwhile the High Rollers looked nothing like their dominant selves in a 236-183 Game 1 loss. The team did not strike until the fifth frame and Sean Rash, who struck on all eight of his attempts in the semifinals, missed a 10-pin in the sixth frame.

In Game 2, Anderson proved why he was voted the MVP, delivering three strikes in the 10th frame to force Portland anchor Kyle Troup to double. Troup left a 4-pin on his first shot, evening the match at one point apiece.

Then came Game 3, the defining game of the entire season. The High Rollers started with four straight strikes and then Anderson washed out. He later admitted he threw the wrong ball. But Anderson picked up the spare, as did Matt Ogle in the ninth frame to give the High Rollers the lead.

This mark's the first Elias Cup for each High Roller except Johnson, who also won the title in 2018 with the Silver Lake Atom Splitters.