This is the short, final day of round two, with just the final two matchups left. At the end of this post, I will direct you to links for the schedule and standings so you can stay up to date on the league happenings over the course of the time between rounds two and three. The first series is...
Starbucks Arena, Archtown: Sally v. Noelle. We begin with 10-ball from the northeast. Central's Noelle stole game 1 away after Archtown's Sally failed to continue a three-ball run by leaving the 10 short at the top right, which was easy pickings for the Warriors' Noelle over her rival's team. The Arrows' Sally replied with a win in game 2 after Noelle chipped her shot on the 10, allowing Sally to redeem herself after giving Noelle ball-in-hand off a stick violation late in the game. Noelle retook a 2-1 series lead in game 3, using a three-ball run-out from Sally's scratch to get ahead again in the series. Game 4 took little time to conclude with the 10 parked by the top left after the break. After a scratch by Noelle, Sally sank the 1 and set up for a 2-9-10 combination, but ended up jamming the 9 and 10 at the jaws of the pocket. Noelle, with a deft touch, caromed the cue off the 2 and hit only the 10, which sank for the win and a 3-1 series advantage. Sally had a five-ball run late in game 5, but missed on the 10, allowing Sally to take the game with a tap-in for a 4-1 series win. Noelle, ranked #96 in 10-ball, will host Precious of the Pronger Tridents at Nestle's Warriors Hall in Central in the third round. With the series win, Noelle eliminated Sally, the twentieth player to see their season end to this point. Sally's spot with the Archtown Arrows is safe due to a top-32 effort in cricket. Noelle earned her first kill of the tournament.
Pepsi Arena, Lighton: Acorn v. Chelsea. The 256th series of the round, the finale, is Rotation, with the red cue making a cameo after a long layoff. Eastside's Chelsea dominated in game 1, but much of that was due to Lighton's Acorn making a half-dozen fouls that resulted in ball-in-hand. The Sharks' Chelsea took the game 8-2, converting over half of her score on these free shots for a 1-0 series lead. The Prestige's Acorn cut back on his fouls by about half, and that made game 2 much more competitive and less sloppy, but it wasn't enough, as Chelsea's slightly better accuracy gave her an 8-6 win for a 2-0 lead. Game 3 had a wavering pace at times, as Acorn bounced to a lead early on after falling behind at the start, using a three-ball run. Chelsea answered with a four-ball run to take the lead, and the players exchanged leads late before Chelsea banked the 15 to the bottom right for the win and a 3-0 series lead, clinching the final third round spot. Acorn made a strong showing in game 4 to avoid a sweep, controlling the early portion of the game and cruising to an 8-6 victory, cutting the series to 3-1. Acorn took game 5 as well, using three-ball runs at the start and the end to bookend an 8-6 win. Chelsea, ranked #98 in Rotation, moves along to the third round, where she will visit Allison of the Hummingbirds at Cisco Arena in Tysini.
That's it for the second round. By the end of today, there will be a new schedule and standings table on the website. Please check this page for the new schedule, and this other page for the new standings post-round two action. If everything in my life goes according to plan tonight, I will be back for a light workload tomorrow afternoon and evening, but if not, there will be games on Monday for sure. Expect Part 1 of the SCL Week 3 action as well over this weekend.
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