They are called the Three Musketeers, and for good reason.

Tonawanda seniors Dawn Carter, Trista Davis and Sam Marcaccio have been on the THS girls bowling team together through a dominating four-year run that culminated this week with a fourth-straight ECIC Division III title.

“They call us the ‘three musketeers’ because we’ve been through so much,” Davis said. “We’re a lot closer this year than we’ve ever been.”

While each girl knows her exact average this season, each can just as quickly say how many league losses they’ve suffered in those four years — zero.

Wednesday at the Tonawanda Bowling Center, the three seniors rolled their final home match for the Warriors. They blanked a tough Depew squad 7-0 and, in the process, moved to 10-0 in the league and extended their ECIC III win streak to 39 matches. They’ve also won back-to-back Section VI Class B titles and earned a trip to the state tournament during their sophomore season.

Tonawanda clinched its fourth straight ECIC III title with its win Monday over Maryvale. Wednesday’s victory wasn’t just an emotional and fitting send-off for the seniors. It gave the team plenty of added momentum going into the most important part of its season, with the Roy Sommer Tournament on Saturday, league roll-offs Tuesday, and the Section VI tournament next Friday.

Needless to say, the past four years have been quite the experience for the Three Musketeers of Tonawanda bowling. “It’s an experience not many people can say they’ve had,” said Marcaccio, who, along with Carter, joined the THS bowling squad in seventh grade; Davis joined as a freshman. “It’s really been exhilarating,” Marcaccio said.

Marcaccio has been a team captain since her sophomore season. That leadership role, she says, has made the team’s ECIC dominance even more meaningful for her. “It’s great to know that you’ve helped the team go undefeated for those three years,” said Marcaccio, whose 194.88 average leads ECIC III.

A look at the division leaders shows why Tonawanda has run the lanes, as the Warriors boast three of the league’s top five kegglers. After Marcaccio, Carter is third (193.54) and Davis is fifth (184.94). Carter has the league’s high game, a 267, while Marcaccio has rolled the second-highest, a 257.

Erin McDonald has also been stellar for THS. Tonawanda coach Jerry Frizzell expects her to be one of the premier bowlers in the league next year.

The team’s success this season is a bit different from years past, when the Warriors rode the prowess of Gina Maduri, who’s now one of the top bowlers at Erie Community College.

“It’s not just one of us,” Carter said. “If one of us has a bad day, there’s still seven other girls that’ll be just as good.”

As good as his senior trio is on the lanes, Frizzell is just as impressed by their character, academics and willingness to help out the younger bowlers. “They’ve set the bar so high,” he said.

Frizzell is convinced that this year’s team is better than the one that advanced to the state tournament two years ago. “We’re deeper, more experienced. And they’ve got the hunger to win,” he said. “They know they can do it. They have this mindset — it’s like a light switch — they really can turn it on.”

“I think we can do it,” Carter said of returning to states as a team. “It probably would be the best way to finish out my senior year.”

Contact reporter David J. Hill at 693-1000, ext. 115.