Pool: Semifinals Day 2

The rest of the Semifinals/sixth round go today, beginning with...

Nike Field Events Center, Commerce: Tigerette v. Snowball. The first set of the day is for 10-ball, with the blue cue. Commerce's Tigerette didn't play the sharpest game 1, but it worked well in the end, as she topped Swordpoint's Snowball with a carom off the 8 that drove the 10 to the top left for a 1-0 lead in the series. The Blades' Snowball made the highlight reel in game 2 with a 2-8 combination to the top left that also saw the 2 fall in the top right. This was just the start for her, as she took the game to make it 1-1 in the series, while the Tradewinds' Tigerette continued to struggle with contact and avoiding scratches. Snowball pulled out to a 2-1 series lead in game 3, capitalizing on a missed tap-in with the 9 for Tigerette to use it as a tool to position for the 10, which she buried in the top left for the win. Tigerette dominated possession in game 4 as Snowball scratched on the break a second time, running five balls early after Snowball deferred possession once. Snowball struggled with the cue once she got it, and Tigerette made the next two as well. Snowball put it together late, but Tigerette cashed in on Snowball missing the 10 for the win to make it 2-2 in the series. Game 5 went a bit more to the sloppy side, with quite a few misses all around, but Snowball looked more impressive, especially with a spin-cut to pot the 10 in the top left for a 3-2 lead at the end of the game. Tigerette turned the cue into a wrecking ball in game 6, pulling off the rare triple-pot by spin-cutting the 1 to the top left, watching the cue rumble to take the 7 in the top right, and with another perfect carom, drive the 4 into the bottom side all in one fluid shot while maintaining position for the next shot. Rightly so, Tigerette cashed in on Snowball missing the 10 to the bottom side with a tap-in on the rebound, making it a 3-3 series after a wild game. Snowball had a four-ball run in game 7, but Tigerette washed it out with a four-ball run-out, including banks on the 8 (top rail to bottom right on a diagonal), 9 (bottom rail to top left), and 10 (top rail to bottom side) for a very classically-inspired victory to take a 4-3 lead and send the home crowd to their feet. Snowball refused to roll over, working in close quarters in a defensive game 8 before striking out to pot the 5-10 combination to the top left after a favorable leave resulted from Tigerette's contact shot, making it a 4-4 series. Snowball had a double-pot of the 3 to the top side and the 7 via contact from the 8 in the bottom left as part of an early five-ball run in game 9. Snowball ended up winning with the 9 and 10 after Tigerette scratched while attempting the 9, setting Snowball up to take the series 5-4. Ranked #76, Snowball will represent the blue cue in the finals for 10-ball, likely on the road. With the loss, Tigerette is the 112th player to be eliminated from the tournament. She is guaranteed to return to the Commerce Tradewinds via cricket protection as a top-32 player, and the team would have to get in truly dire straits to cut her in any situation, as she is one player with immense job security. The Tradewinds are the sixteenth team to be knocked out of the tournament, but they appear safe for the playoffs. Snowball grabbed her fourth kill of the season with the win.

Microsoft Center, Del Sur: Panda v. Patches. Along the coast, we have Survival for the blue cue representative. Everything went smoothly in game 1 until the end of the second rack, where Boston's Patches quickly lost her accuracy, and Southern's Panda played along with a more defensive approach, eventually claiming the game for a 1-0 lead in the series. Game 2 saw a lot quicker decline in rack two, but this time Patches of the Swifts held on while the Monarchs' Panda plummeted through four lives very quickly. Patches did help a bit with defensive positioning, but she had to make her shots first, and she did, tying the series at 1. Game 3 was a bit of a quick ending, with both players alternating in a tumbling decline, but Panda did himself in when he lost a life for missing the 15 from short distance at the top right. Patches tapped it in and then controlled the positioning to force him out of lives, taking a 2-1 lead for herself. Patches created a lot of trouble for Panda in game 4, continually driving the cue to the perimeter of the table, which induced long shots from Panda that were frequently misses with good position for Patches to repeat, allowing her to go up 3-1 in a half-rack of work. On his last life in game 5, Panda used a cluster buster shot that got the 11 to the bottom side, but also ended with a scratch in the bottom right, allowing Patches to cruise to a 4-1 series lead. Patches took the series at 5-1, with a massive lead allowing her to play craft at the start of the second rack in game 6, which caused Panda to miss on his shot attempt through traffic, ending his campaign. Panda pushed game 7 to a third rack, but Patches' decline came too late, as Panda couldn't make anything on the congested table either, giving Patches a 6-1 lead in the series. With nothing left to play for, game 8 went quickly, and Panda took the win after some lazy and relaxed shooting by Patches, with the game going just a rack before making the series 6-2. Game 9 also only lasted a single rack, with Panda showing off a bit while Patches played down her abilities out of respect. The series ended 6-3, and the #58 ranked Patches will represent the blue cue in Survival against the Swordpoint Blades' Snowball at the Gillette Center in the finals. With the loss, Panda is the 113th player out of the tournament, but he is expected to return as the new captain of the Southern Monarchs as they enter a rebuilding phase. The Monarchs are also the seventeenth team out of the tournament, missing the playoffs. Patches took her third kill of the season in the win.

Nestle's Warriors Hall, Central: Noelle v. Citrus. Continuing along, we begin a doubleheader of 7-ball with the red cue series first in the northeast. Central's Noelle kept Diamond's Citrus away from the table in game 1, sinking the 3 to the top left on the break, then the 1 in the bottom right, and a 2-7 combination to the top left for a 1-0 lead. The Gems' Citrus only got two shots in game 2, but she made them count, sinking the 4 to the top side and using a double-kiss end-around on the 5 to push the 7 across the top of the table to the top left, tying the series at 1 in answer to a three-ball run by the Warriors' Noelle. Citrus went up 2-1 in the series by taking the 7 to the top side for the win on the break in game 3, also sinking the 2 in the bottom left. Citrus worked a five-ball run-out in game 4, capitalizing on a single miss by Noelle to take a 3-1 series lead in the high-octane set. Citrus continued to dominate in game 5, working a three-ball run-out in the slowest game of the series thus far, which made it 4-1 as Noelle is having accuracy issues. Noelle fixed those issues in game 6, answering an early three-ball run from Citrus with a three-ball run-out to pull back to a 4-2 series score. Noelle survived again in game 7, as Citrus couldn't take the 7 at the top side and left a juicy shot that Noelle buried to make it 4-3 in the series. Noelle barely won again in game 8, as control was taken out of her hands when she missed the 5, but she got fortunate when Citrus scratched after sinking the 7, resulting in a 4-4 series and one game for everything. Noelle completed her incredible rally on a modest two-ball run-out in game 9, showing Citrus how to cut the 7 to the bottom right without scratching, for a 5-4 series win. Ranked #4 in 7-ball, Noelle will be hosting her finals series while representing the red cue. With the loss, Citrus is the 114th player out of the tournament, but her efforts in pool have earned her another year with the Diamond Gems, who will bring her back even without a protection tag if it comes to that. The Gems find themselves as the eighteenth team finished with the tournament, but likely in the playoffs. Noelle collected her fourth knockout of the season.

Kraft Forum, Royal: Jake v. Goldy. For the blue side of 7-ball, we head to the southeast to figure out who will travel to Central to play the Warriors' Noelle at Nestle's Warriors Hall. Royal's Jake ran the table in game 1, taking all seven balls from the break to the finish, in order, for a 1-0 series lead. The Crowns' Jake dominated again in game 2, but came up empty when Everton's Goldy flashed her skill with a kick to pot the 4 in the top left and a 5-7 combination to the bottom left to make it 1-1 in the series. Jake's more attacking style served him well in game 3, as the Eagles' Goldy had to leave the 7 short to avoid a scratch, and Jake's high offense play put him in a position to sink it easily after working through multiple other balls earlier in the game. Jake moved to a 2-1 series lead. Game 4 saw a stalling of momentum, with neither player scoring a large run, and the game was decided as Jake left the 7 short at the top left, which Goldy tapped in to make it 2-2 in the series. Goldy's crisp shooting in game 5 put her ahead 3-2 in the series after Jake left the 6 short on a bank attempt toward the bottom right, which Goldy converted on a tap-in that set her line up nicely for the winning shot on the 7 to the top left. Goldy took game 6 as well, a much slower game that saw positioning take more of a grip on the series. To that point, Goldy had to really dig out on the 6 to get to the 7, which worked as she took it to the top left and pushed the series to 4-2. Goldy clinched the series at 5-2 with a three-ball run-out, ending with a bank on the 7 that crossed the intended path to the top side, a bold move that accentuated Goldy's stellar defense to keep Jake at bay throughout much of the series. Jake bounced back in game 8, taking a three-ball run-out to pull back to 5-3 in the series. Goldy shot back with a three-ball run-out in game 9, including an impressively hard shot on the 6 to the top right that bounced the cue out of the bottom side with a hop. Goldy, ranked #55, took the series 6-3 to advance to the finals, where she meets Noelle of the Central Warriors for a Rivalry final. With the loss, Jake is the 115th player to be eliminated from the tournament, but the Crowns are anticipating bringing him back, without officially confirming that intention yet. The Crowns are the nineteenth team to be fully eliminated, but they've got a good shot at the playoffs. With the win, Goldy collects her sixth kill of the season, entering a three-way tie for the lead in that category.

Cisco Arena, Tysini: Princess v. Patches. Onto 12-ball in the southwest to determine the red representative. In game 1, each player had a wild card ball, but Tysini's Princess lacked accuracy and contact while Boston's Patches played a more precise style to take a 1-0 series lead with her little bit of help. The Hummingbirds' Princess played great with situational awareness in game 2, patiently setting herself up while the Swifts' Patches struggled to get her last two from the left rail to the side pockets, and Princess used a three-ball run-out to tie the series at 1. Princess took a 2-1 series lead with a game 3 win, using her positional advantage to hold off a furious rally by Patches at the end. Game 4 reached a glacial pace as the mastermind players partook in a mental battle. Patches ended up getting the win when she sneaked the 2 past Princess' defensive position, which only came about for Princess' inability to make those two balls earlier. With the win, Patches retied the series at 2. Patches took a 3-2 series lead as Princess played horribly in game 5. Multiple open shots were missed, while Patches breezed by working positioning and set-up shots with practically free will. In game 6, Patches let Princess catch up, because she had the trump card with defense at the bottom right both players needed. True to form, Princess was working on getting set when Patches took her last two balls after careful set-up work, making it 4-2 in the series. Princess shot back in game 7, with the wild and free game coming to a halt with defense at the end. Patches blocked the top right pocket for Princess, using the 7 to prevent the 9 access. Princess decided not to fight it directly, instead getting the 9 in such a spot that Patches could not hit the 7 directly. Patches fell for the trap shot, illegally sinking her last ball to give Princess ball-in-hand for the tap-in win, making it 4-3 in the series. After a massive defensive standoff that saw the 7 block the 13 in a defensive play by Princess getting counter by the 15 blocking the 5 for Patches, the players dueled onward until Patches got ball-in-hand from missed contact by Princess, burying the 15 to the top right to secure the series at 5-3 in game 8. Patches had a three-ball run-out in game 9, making it a 6-3 series win. Representing the red cue, #115 ranked Patches will travel to Lighton to face the Prestige's Acorn at Pepsi Arena in the finals.

UPS Hall, Maplewood: Fluffina v. Princess. Continuing the tripleheader for Princess, she has 10-ball in the northeast to begin the night session. Maplewood's Fluffina took game 1 after a bit of pathetic shooting at the partially snookered 9, which Tysini's Princess eventually missed contact on, giving Fluffina the ball-in-hand to end the game for a 1-0 lead. The Hummingbirds' Princess tied the series at 1 with a three-ball run-out in game 2, answering some solid play from early in the game by the Lumberjacks' Fluffina. Princess made it 2-1 in the series by winning game 3 on a hard carom off the 3, sinking the 10 in the bottom left on the highlight reel shot. Fluffina countered with a two-ball run-out to answer a four-ball run from Princess in game 4, making the 9 and the 10 easily to retie the series at 2. Fluffina used one of Princess' tricks against her, a hard carom off the 9 that drove the 10 to the top left to legally end game 5 with the called play that made it a 3-2 series and brought the crowd to a roar. Princess shot straight back in game 6, capitalizing on Fluffina's scratch from a failed kick attempt to work the 8 and the 10 to the top left via good positioning for a win that made it a 3-3 series. Princess pulled ahead with a three-ball run-out in game 7, working from the break that saw the 6 go down, then potting the 1 with a thin cut to the top side, before a 2-10 combination that glanced off the 9 found the bottom left for the win, stunning Fluffina and putting her in serious trouble. Game 8 went by in a blur, with Princess running five balls at one point, including a double-pot of the 2 to the top side and the 6 to the bottom left. Princess was challenged by Fluffina on her shooting the 5, but Fluffina deferred possession. It proved the right move, as Princess made the 7 but missed the 8, allowing Fluffina a three-ball run-out for the win, retying the series one more time at 4 in an incredibly tight rematch from an 8-ball series earlier in the tournament. In game 9, Fluffina scored a five-ball run after taking over possession from Princess after she missed on a deferred shot. Fluffina missed on the 8, and Princess made it but in a pocket different from the one she called. With her season on the line, Fluffina broke conventional wisdom and deferred again, and Princess, in an effort to avoid scratching, left the 10 short at the bottom left. Fluffina tapped in for the win and a 5-4 series win. Ranked #19 in 10-ball, Fluffina will host Snowball in the finals at this venue, and Fluffina will represent the red cue.

Cisco Arena, Tysini: Princess v. Twinkie III. Returning home, Princess completes her tripleheader with 8-ball and the blue cue, beginning an 8-ball doubleheader. Once at the top of the league, Tysini's Princess has stumbled this round and is playing a sudden death match against Whitewater's Twinkie III. The Hummingbirds' Princess again lost a game 1, as the Shores' Twinkie III used a four-ball run-out in an already dominant effort to take a 1-0 series lead that may be the beginning of the end for the odds-on MVP. Twinkie III waited as long as she could in game 2, and then she went on a three-ball run-out through strong accuracy, including tapping in the 8 that Princess had set up at the bottom right for the win, going up 2-0 in the series. Twinkie III dominated in game 3, taking a three-ball run early and using ball-in-hand from Princess' scratch with no balls potted to cue up a five-ball run-out in a shutout victory that made it a 3-0 series lead for the highly-ranked visitor. Princess halted her slide in game 4, playing a tight game until a three-ball run-out in the end separated her upwards, using creative shot selection and pace to make it a 3-1 series while avoiding peril. Twinkie III answered in a game 5 that all came down to the chase for the 8. Princess did play significant defense to hold off Twinkie III until she could catch up, but the 8 proved troublesome, and Twinkie III eventually ripped it home to the bottom left for a 4-1 series lead that makes Princess' margin of error very thin. Princess barely held on in game 6, as Twinkie III made a very convincing rally late to make it a close game while Princess chased the 8, but she put it away before Twinkie III could get to it, making it a 4-2 series. Twinkie III clinched the series at 5-2 in game 7, weathering a fierce storm from Princess to bury shots that she spent a bit of time getting set up in a somewhat inaccurate game. Princess just hung her head after the loss, as did her home fans, shocked at this Semifinals collapse. Princess again bounced back in game 8, working a dominant stretch of shots at one point, and eventually potting the 8 very smoothly after banking the 3 to the bottom side to get set up, pushing the series to 5-3. Twinkie III dominated thoroughly in game 9, keeping Princess well away from any chance of winning another game, with the series ending at 6-3. Ranked #10, Twinkie III will host the winner of the next series at Samsung Arena in Whitewater for a finals series, where she will represent the blue cue. With the loss, the expected MVP Princess finds herself as the 116th player ousted from the tournament. Princess has rejuvenated the Tysini Hummingbirds, a franchise without direction before she arrived in last year's draft. In addition to the Players Cup award she has coming to her, she is also set to win the Ringer Award for Comeback Player of the Year. The Hummingbirds are the twentieth team to be out of the tournament. Twinkie III collected the most coveted kill and her personal fourth kill of the season in taking out one of the league leaders in that category.

Ebay Center, Queens: Paige v. Dreamy. The final series of the semifinals, and the final-one cue series of the tournament, is 8-ball with the red cue from the southeast. Queens' Paige dropped the hammer in game 1, starting slow against a quick-shooting Dreamy of Swordpoint, but rallying on a six-ball run-out for a 1-0 series lead very quickly, using accuracy as her key to victory, and positioning also played a key role. Game 2 got a little lazy in the middle, as shooting accuracy dropped when the intensity kicked up. The Blades' Dreamy controlled the early parts of the game, but the Flames' Paige answered with a four-ball run-out at the end, moving to a 2-0 lead in the series. Paige continued her stretch of comeback victories with a three-ball run-out to win game 3, with all three shots coming at difficult angles, and this gave her a 3-0 lead in the series. The shortening of the run-outs indicates the games are getting closer for Paige. Dreamy got on the board with a game 4 win, using the 7 in a defensive position to stymie Paige at the top right long enough to work around the rest of her balls to slowly answer Paige's opening five-ball run and gain the lead and a win, making it 3-1 for the series. Paige answered with a big win in game 5, dominating throughout the game as Dreamy couldn't recapture her offensive form. Paige ended on a five-ball run-out, using pinpoint accuracy and strong shot selection to gain a 4-1 series lead. Paige secured the series at 5-1 in game 6, using a three-ball run-out to neutralize Dreamy's six-ball run that almost pulled her back into the series had she gotten a little more out of it. Game 7 saw wild swings of possession, but Dreamy ended up on top with a strong back off the top rail to take the 8 at the bottom side, making it a 5-2 series as the players play out the string to end the semifinals. Paige took game 8 with another five-ball run-out, continuing to impress virtually everyone with her execution and accuracy in these late-game situations, not to mention her ability to weather trouble early. Paige's win made it a 6-2 series at this point. Paige finished it off at 7-2 in the series with a game 9 win that saw her make the last two balls. Paige, ranked #50 in 8-ball, is set to represent the red cue against Twinkie III in the finals at Samsung Arena in Whitewater. With the loss, Dreamy is the 117th player to be eliminated. Paige takes the league lead in kills at 7 with the big win, and made a case to finish first overall in the league if she can finish strong in the finals.

Please check the schedule page for important information regarding the postseason. I will now award the bronze medals to the losers of semifinals series as co-3rd place winners in each event.

7-ball: Citrus (DIA) and Jake (ROY)
8-ball: Dreamy (SDP) and Princess (TYS)
9-ball: Princess (TYS) and Ruby (ARC)
10-ball: Princess (TYS) and Tigerette (COM)
12-ball: Princess (TYS) and Misty (WSR)
Rotation: Ms. Kitty (PAC) and Puff II (BOS)
15-ball: Lionel (COM) and Spirit (LTN)
Survival: Citrus (DIA) and Panda (SOU)

Tomorrow is the long-awaited Finals day. This is where all the hard work and game play comes down to just a nine game series for each of these players as they try to bring glory to their teams. It's the most exciting day of the tournament. After tomorrow's games, it will be number crunching time, first for this tournament to get set for the offseason, and eventually for the all-time statistics. I hope three days will be enough to do all of this. Until tomorrow, have a good night.