Storm did not enter the event as the top seed. It did not have the easiest path, nor the best individual season this year. But Storm did not need any of that to prove it had the best bowlers who could play not only for themselves, but for the team. Again.
For the second straight year, Storm won the PBA Elite League: Battle of the Brands, claiming another Manufacturer’s Cup title.
Storm qualified third in the regular season, then defeated Brunswick, Hammer and Motiv to win back-to-back Manufacturer’s Cup titles.
The final was a rematch of last year’s championship match, with Storm once again facing Motiv. And yet again, the result stayed the same with Storm defeating Motiv 2-0 in the Race-to-Two final.
The opening game was low scoring, with both teams fighting through several splits on the 43-foot Randy Pedersen oil pattern. Storm took it 183-178.
The second game was much cleaner when it mattered most. With the title in reach, Storm struck in the seventh, eighth and ninth frames to shut out Motiv. Captain Jason Belmonte then added three more strikes in the 10th frame, sealing a 237-170 win.
Kyle Troup, Chris Via and Belmonte were part of both Storm championship teams, this time joined by Patrick Dombrowski, who had an amazing season this year, winning the 2026 U.S. Open, Darren Tang, who took down Storm's captain Belmonte to claim the PBA Chameleon title, and François Lavoie, who served as acting manager for Storm president Tyler Jensen.
Before the finals, Brunswick opened the stepladder by defeating Roto Grip and 900 Global, then pushed Storm into a deciding roll-off. Storm responded with strikes from Via, Dombrowski and Belmonte to win the match and move on.
In the semifinal, Storm defeated Hammer 2-0. The second game nearly went the other way, but Hammer anchor Zach Wilkins missed a 3-6-10 spare attempt in the final frame, allowing Storm to escape with a 213-211 win.
For the win, Storm received $33,000.
Now the PBA Tour season turns to the PBA Norm Duke Open finals, which will take place today on CBS Sports Network, with Deo Benard and EJ Tackett leading the two separate squad stepladders.
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