The long first round is beginning to show signs of wrapping up now, and we'll be working to get full slates of games in all week. We begin with...
Starbucks Arena, Archtown: Dusky v. J. Garcia. The silver cue's last first-round series of 10-ball leads the day. Archtown's Dusky had a late three-ball run in game 1 end up being for nothing when she left the 10 short at the top right, allowing Southridge's Garcia to tap it in for a 1-0 series lead. The Arrows' Dusky provided a much stiffer challenge in game 2, dominating possession and forcing errors on the Defenders' Garcia, eventually taking the game in a three-ball run-out to tie the series at 1. Garcia played well with a four-ball run in game 3, but it wouldn't be enough, as Dusky had good position for the last two balls and won the series 2-1. Dusky, the #1 ranked 10-ball player, hosts Sierra of the Todavía Stills at this venue in the second round.
Samsung Arena, Whitewater: Wild Thing v. Easter. The blue cue is up for 15-ball now. Whitewater's Wild Thing got a bit lucky as his failed bank of the 12 toward the top side got redirected into the bottom left to set up his win by making a straight shot on the 15, stunning an ineffective Easter of Todavía for the 1-0 series lead. The Stills' Easter made quite a few shots off of errors from the Shores' Wild Thing, and it was illegal contact that led Easter to a pair of three-ball runs to end game 2 in a win, tying the series at 1. Wild Thing made a critical error in game 3, trying to kick onto the 4 but coming short off the top rail, sinking the 15 illegally in the top left to give Easter a win and the 2-1 series win. Ranked #97 for 15-ball, Easter will travel to Southridge's GE Stadium Events Center to visit the Defenders' J. Garcia in the second round.
Honda Driftwood Coliseum, Pearl: Watermelon v. Bryant. The red cue gets its turn for some 12-ball. Maplewood's Bryant had a wonderful finish to game 1, piecing together a four-ball run-out with precision shooting to take a 1-0 series lead, with the win accompanied by excellent defending against Pearl's Watermelon after she got down to one ball remaining. The Surfers' Watermelon survived the game 2 comeback attempt from the Lumberjacks' Bryant, who owned a wild card ball and nearly clinched but missed the 4 at the top right. Watermelon made the 15 in the bottom left from distance, tying the series at 1 with her win. Watermelon had the better of play in game 3, getting herself set up a bit faster. Bryant left her a favorable final shot, which she buried to win the series 2-1. Ranked #23 for 12-ball, Watermelon brings in Infinity Torpedoes captain Smudge in the second round at this venue.
Verizon Field Events Center, Pacific: Jack v. Bryant. Bryant continues his western swing with a series of 15-ball with the blue cue on the coast. Pacific's Jack had the worst luck in game 1, watching the cue kick off the left rail and navigate around many balls before illegally hitting and potting the 15 to gift a win and 1-0 series lead to Maplewood's Bryant. The Volcanoes' Jack fought back with a more careful game 2, and things played out pretty evenly. The Lumberjacks' Bryant was on the wrong end of it, as Jack made the last two balls to win the game and tie the series at 1. Jack put himself in trouble with accidental self-defending, but he made contact with the 13. Bryant made him pay for the abrupt end to his four-ball run, converting the 13-15 combination to the top left to win the series 2-1. Ranked #98 for 15-ball, Bryant will visit Archtown's Starbucks Arena to face the Arrows' Ruby in the second round. The loss could be Jack's final career loss in pool, as he became the third player eliminated this season, while Bryant collects his first kill of the year.
Gillette Center, Swordpoint: Shawn v. Sleepy B. The blue cue stays in for its 15-ball first round finale from the Southwest. Archtown's Sleepy B. had a very unfortunate late scratch in game 1 after playing fairly well, scratching after the 14 to let Swordpoint's Shawn make the 15 from ball-in-hand for the win and a 1-0 lead in the series. The Arrows' Sleepy B. fired back with a game 2 win, as both players exchanged runs in the free flowing game. The Blades' Shawn tried to pin the cue on the 15 late, but it slipped off, and Sleepy B. cut the 15 to the bottom left to win the game and tie the series at 1. Shawn had a late three-ball run in game 3, but as we often see, the money ball provided too much pressure and he left it short at the top right, where Sleepy B. earned the win on the tap-in, and took the series 2-1. Ranked #102 for 15-ball, Sleepy B. will next play in Kraft Forum in Royal against the Crowns' Marsell in the second round.
Starbucks Arena, Archtown: Ruby v. Blizzard. Northeastern rivals exchange pleasantries in a series of 9-ball with the silver cue. Archtown's Ruby stole game 1 away from Everton's Blizzard, as the latter dominated possession and had three- and five-ball runs only to leave the 9 short, which Ruby made for a 1-0 series lead. The Arrows' Ruby had to try a bit harder in game 2, but the Eagles' Blizzard wasn't all that sharp either. Ruby ended the game with the last two balls, knocking the 8 in and getting a great bounce off the top side to set up the 9 in that spot, good for a 2-0 series lead. Blizzard salvaged game 3 to leave the series with something, winning on a three-ball run-out spurred by strong positioning to make it a 2-1 series. Ruby advances her #24 ranked 9-ball campaign to the second round, where she'll bring in Whitewater Shores veteran Cheddar to this venue.
Audi Hall, Terrace City: Oreo v. A. Charlton. The red cue is back in action for some 8-ball. Golden's Charlton took awhile to ignite her offense in game 1, but Terrace City's Oreo never got going, so Charlton's seven-ball run-out made things look quite lopsided as she takes a 1-0 series lead with the win. The Knights' Oreo charged back with a four-ball run to pace her attack in game 2, and while the Pilots' Charlton did a decent job of catching up, Oreo used her miss to carom the 8 off the 10 and into the top side for the win that tied the series at 1. Oreo and Charlton battled again in game 3, and Charlton left the 8 very short at the top left. Oreo buried the 1 that she had scratched on earlier, and then tapped the 8 for a 2-1 series win. Ranked #5 in 8-ball, Oreo hosts Leonette of the Pacific Volcanoes in the second round at this venue.
Ebay Center, Queens: Max v. Nicole. The red cue stays at the table for some 12-ball. Queens' Max gave up a wild card ball in game 1, but it worked for the better, as Southern's Nicole was just a tad too slow to set herself up when Max kicked the 5 to the top left for the win and a 1-0 series lead. In game 2, the Flames' Max used a strong defensive presence to block a good shot for the Monarchs' Nicole, and then worked to set things up, eventually tapping in his last two shots to seal the series at 2-0. Max had a solid break in game 3 but gave up a wild card ball, which Nicole promptly returned on a scratch. Nicole later had a four-ball rally, but she fell short as Max made his last two shots to sweep the series 3-0. Ranked #20 for 12-ball, Max will host sister and former teammate, Maplewood Lumberjacks captain Fluffina, in the second round at this venue.
Nestle's Warriors Hall, Central: Dustin v. Jake. The silver cue has a series of Accuracy where Dustin hosts the Warrior he replaced, Jake, in front of the very passionate Central crowd. Central's Dustin held control in game 1, missing a few late but holding on to beat Royal's Jake 3-4 with some confident shooting for the 1-0 series lead. The Crowns' Jake induced three straight misses on the Warriors' Dustin in game 2, working himself to a 2-5 win that tied the series at 1 with good defensive play. Dustin answered with a perfect run in game 3, while Jake kept up with him for most of the game before losing 0-2. Dustin took the series 2-1 to send the fans home happy, but they'll return in the second round when their #13 ranked Accuracy players hosts Ruby of the Archtown Arrows.
GE Stadium Events Center, Southridge: Boots v. Oreo. The silver cue makes its first round finale for Accuracy with a bracket doubleheader. Southridge's Boots began strong and held on despite Terrace City's Oreo attempting late defense, with Boots' knock of the 9 along the top rail sealing her 2-3 win for a 1-0 series lead. Game 2 played out very closely, with a late miss by Boots of the Defenders forcing overtime. There, the Knights' Oreo had a chance to win and missed her shot, only to miss another a few turns later to lose 3-4 and give Boots the clinching win with a 2-0 series lead. Boots had a comedy of errors in blowing away game 3, allowing Oreo to take the game 3-4 to make it a 2-1 series. Ranked #2 for Accuracy, Boots will host Wild Thing of the Whitewater Shores at this venue in the second round.
Pepsi Arena, Lighton: Lydia v. Kirstin. The blue cue is up for 10-ball at this time. Lighton's Lydia nearly won game 1 with a 2-10 combination to the top right that also knocked the 6 to the bottom right, but she scratched, negating the victory. Southern's Kirstin came close to running things out, but her shot on the 8 was weak. Lydia had a three-ball run-out instead, ending with a classic bank finish to the bottom side for the 1-0 series lead. The Prestige's Lydia got pushed around a lot in game 2, as the Monarchs' Kirstin owned a couple of runs, including a late three-ball run that ended with a narrow miss on the 8. Lydia used this as the catalyst for her three-ball run-out to secure the series at 2-0. Lydia seemed to be mailing it in for game 3, but she took advantage of more poor shooting late from Kirstin, smashing another three-ball run-out for the 3-0 sweep. Ranked #14 in 10-ball, Lydia welcomes Cowzart of the Pearl Surfers to this venue in the second round.
Volkswagen Stadium Events Center, Viewpoint Sound: Mams v. Bright. The red cue will wrap up the afternoon with 7-ball. Viewpoint Sound's Mams needed only two shots to snag the game 1 win, burying the 2 to the bottom side and 4 to the bottom right on the break, and then converting the 1-7 combination to the bottom left for a 1-0 series lead as Tysini's Bright could only watch. The Meteors' Mams smashed her way through game 2 as well, but the Hummingbirds' Bright got a pair of shots this time, both misses. Mams ran out the last five balls with good positioning, clinching the series at 2-0 quite effectively. Bright had a four-ball run in game 3, but it wouldn't be enough after Mams scored the last two balls for a 3-0 series sweep. Ranked #15 for 7-ball, Mams will bring in Twilight of the Central Warriors to this venue for the second round.
Ebay Center, Queens: Paige v. Rainmane. The silver cue gets a look for 15-ball in the evening. Queens' Paige snagged the game 1 win in a back-and-forth affair that came out evenly match, making the last two balls to take a 1-0 series lead over Web City's Rainmane. In game 2, Rainmane of the Spiders brought things to a close with her 13-15 combination. The game was a bit slow to progress, as the Flames' Paige did not produce a good break, leaving many shots over-covered. Rainmane's win tied the series at 1. Paige opted for a cut on the 15 in game 3 rather than a bank, and she paid for it as the cue fell in the top side as the 15 found the bottom right, giving Rainmane the win and a 2-1 series win. Ranked #75 for 15-ball, Rainmane will travel to Southridge's GE Stadium Events Center to face the Defenders' Shaggy in the second round.
UPS Hall, Maplewood: Cubby v. Stinky. The silver cue will wrap up its first round 15-ball with this series. Both players played an uninspiring game 1, but Freedom's Stinky made the last two balls for the win and a 1-0 series lead in the close but average game against Maplewood's Cubby. The Cascades' Stinky secured the series at 2-0 in game 2 after the Lumberjacks' Cubby tossed up a desperation shot on the 6 that made contact but set Stinky up to use a 6-15 combination to the bottom side for the win, and the 6 fell in the bottom right for the double-pot in the win. Cubby ended up with the win in game 3 despite a hot start by Stinky. He won on a four-ball run-out, with the last being a 12-15 combination where the cue provided the deflection for the 15 to fall in the bottom right. Stinky won the series 2-1, and his #76 ranked 15-ball bid heads to Modernistic to face the Union's Juno in the second round.
AT&T Hall, Oceanside: Bells v. Charli. The red cue gets its last series of 7-ball for the first round right here. Oceanside's Bells potted three balls on the break and ran out the last three balls as well to top Tysini's Charli for a 1-0 series lead, with Charli getting just two shots in all of game 1. The Waves' Bells made even quicker work of game 2, potting the 7 on the break in the top side to prevent the Hummingbirds' Charli from making a comeback as Bells seals the series at 2-0. Charli fought back enough in game 3 to get the win, but Bells still took the series 2-1. Ranked #11 for 7-ball, Bells hosts Ms. Kitty of the Pacific Volcanoes in the second round at this venue.
Gillette Center, Swordpoint: Shawn v. Max. The last series of the night is 8-ball with the red cue. Queens' Max contributed nothing but missed shots to game 1, which made it very easy for Swordpoint's Shawn to walk away with the win, ending on a four-ball run-out to get the 1-0 lead in the series. The Flames' Max made an ill-advised attempt to go through defense, and the Blades' Shawn punished that with a four-ball run-out to clinch the series at 2-0 with good positioning and execution. Max did well to save some face with a big win in game 3, making it a 2-1 series as Shawn mailed it in. Ranked #4 for 8-ball, Shawn will host Dusky of the Archtown Arrows at this venue in the second round.
We're still on pace for a Friday finish for the round. More to come all week.
No comments:
Post a Comment