Pool: 2016 A-level Second Round - Day 7

This is the last expected full day of games for this portion of the tournament. We begin in...

Capital City SuperCenter, Capital City: Missy v. Yekaterina Vasilyeva. The red cue gets the opener today, playing 10-ball. Capital City's Missy picked up game 1 in a back-and-forth battle with Victoria's Yekaterina, who had a short miss on the 10, and Missy drove it to the top left to get the win and a 1-0 series lead. In game 2, both players had uncalled makes, and they each chose to retain possession. The game got interesting at the end when Yekaterina of the Spurs missed on the 10, and the Sharpshooters' Missy tapped it in to gain a 2-0 series lead. Yekaterina got on the board with her game 3 win, capitalizing on Missy illegally potting the 7 to ignite a three-ball run-out, making it a 2-1 series. Yekaterina gambled and lost in game 4, trying to cut the 10 to the top left without scratching, and her scratch on the play ended a four-ball run. Missy claimed the series at 3-1 with the 10 potted from ball-in-hand. Game 5 saw both players do well, but it was again Missy coming up with the win after a miss by Yekaterina, and Missy took the series 4-1. Ranked #55 for 10-ball, Missy heads into the third round.

Cisco Arena, Tysini: Leandra v. Kirstin. The red cue stays up for a series of 9-ball. Tysini's Leandra ended up taking game 1 with a win that saw a lot of attempted bank shots but ended with a cut after Southern's Kirstin was a little too kind with her bank attempt on the 9, giving Leandra the 1-0 series lead. The Hummingbirds' Leandra opened game 2 with a five-ball run and closed it with a four-ball run-out, allowing the Monarchs' Kirstin just one missed shot as Leandra took a 2-0 series lead. Kirstin answered with a game 3 win in only two shots, using the 1 to carom into the 7 at the bottom right, and then a 1-9 combination to the top side after it was left there, making it a 2-1 series while neutralizing Leandra's impact on the game. Kirstin made game 4 more difficult than it had to be, trying too hard to position herself, and watching it backfire as Leandra turned in a three-ball run-out to clinch the series at 3-1. Leandra lost game 5 when she couldn't turn in a 2-9 combination from a bad angle to the bottom side. She scratched, leaving Kirstin with two shots, ending on a 3-9 combination to the bottom right to make it a 3-2 series. Leandra still advances her 9-ball bid, ranked #14, to a hosting position in the third round.

Gillette Center, Swordpoint: Shawn v. Sugar. The red cue continues with this 7-ball series. Swordpoint's Shawn got a favorable bounce in game 1, watching the 7 careen into the bottom left to take a 1-0 series lead over Web City's Sugar, who has yet to see the table. The Blades' Shawn took game 2 in a similar fashion, but the 7 dropped in the top right for this game, and he has a stranglehold 2-0 series lead now. The Spiders' Sugar put up more of a fight in game 3, missing three times early on, but getting the 7 when it matter as Shawn's cut was well wide, and the series is now 2-1. Shawn salvaged game 4 despite making a fair share of mistakes, as Sugar scratched late in the game, and Shawn took the 7 from ball-in-hand to seal the series at 3-1. Shawn should count his blessings for those two good breaks, because his shooting in game 5 would have lost him a tight series, as Sugar had no trouble cashing in on his mistakes before making her own to get the win eventually and make it a 3-2 series. Ranked #17 for 7-ball, Shawn will host a third round series.

Sprint Hall, Victoria: B. Chapman v. Chimpy. The red cue's last series of this opening stretch is Accuracy. Victoria's Chapman played well in game 1, only slipping a couple of times while forcing Modernistic's Chimpy into a few misses as Chapman won 2-4 to take a confident 1-0 series lead. In game 2, the Spurs' Chapman appeared to be cruising until things went sideways. The Union's Chimpy gained a lot of control and forced Chapman into what became a 3-4 loss with his good defensive play, tying the series at 1. Chapman had two leads in game 3, but only the second one stuck, as Chimpy did well to get even before falling behind again, eventually taking a 2-4 loss to give Chapman a 2-1 series lead. Chapman's double-pot of the 1 to the top side and 9 to the top left may have undone her chances of winning game 4, as she ended the game down 3-4 to Chimpy, and the extra ball would have forced him to take a shot at the end, but the series is instead tied at 2. Chimpy really pushed Chapman around in game 5, and she had no good response to it, losing 3-8 as the misses piled up easily. Ranked #78 for Accuracy, Chimpy heads into a visiting series for the third round with a 3-2 series win.

Toyota Arena, Freedom: Roxy v. Snowball. The silver cue comes on for a series of Rotation. Swordpoint's Snowball got a nice lead in game 1, but Freedom's Roxy had no trouble erasing it, working a five-ball run-out to take an 8-6 win and gain a 1-0 series lead in a dominant flash of brilliance. The Blades' Snowball squandered her lead again in game 2, even falling behind to the Cascades' Roxy late in the game, but she got it back this time, swiping an 8-7 win to tie the series at 1. Snowball looked better in game 3, but a lot of that stemmed from Roxy giving away a lot of ball-in-hand situations, allowing Snowball to collect easy shots en route to an 8-3 win and 2-1 lead in the series. Roxy had a three-ball run pace her attack in game 4, including a double-pot of the 4 in the bottom left and an edge-drop situation at the top right. Snowball slowly got back into the game, but a killer kick on the 13 gave Roxy an 8-5 win and tied the series at 2. Roxy had a terrible break in game 5, but it worked out for her, as she plucked off bits and pieces to build up her lead. Snowball had a four-ball run to make it close, but Roxy finished it at 8-5 to take the series 3-2. Ranked #30 in Rotation, Roxy advances to the third round.

Intel Center, Diamond: Pedey v. Cleo. The blue cue is up now, playing Accuracy. Everton's Cleo had a good game, especially when Diamond's Pedey scratched with only two balls left, allowing her to secure a 2-3 win and take a 1-0 series lead because of his critical error. The Eagles' Cleo didn't have a great grasp in game 2, but the Gems' Pedey missed on his last shot, opening things up for Cleo to make it and take the game 2-3 again, going ahead 2-0 in the series at the same time. Pedey got Cleo to miss a lot more in game 3, and she couldn't work out of some bad shots, falling 2-5 in a poor effort on Cleo's part as Pedey cuts the series to 2-1. Cleo couldn't find any traction in game 4 either, slipping early and often and losing 2-5 again as Pedey played strong at first before fading in a difficult finish, but he was good enough to tie the series at 2. Pedey proved dominant in game 5, playing at a relentless pace that Cleo kept up with at first but eventually couldn't, losing 1-2. Pedey took the series 3-2, and his #10 ranked Accuracy bid heads to Commerce's Nike Field Events Center to face Tradewinds captain Tigerette in the third round.

Toyota Arena, Freedom: Stinky v. Kavan. A former teammate returns for this series of 7-ball with the red cue. Freedom's Stinky had a big welcome planned for Victoria's Kavan, as his former teammate never made it to the table. Stinky sank three on the break, including the 7 caroming off the left rail and the 5 into the top side to give the host a 1-0 series lead after game 1. The Spurs' Kavan didn't take it lightly, coming back to win game 2 on a three-ball run-out that the Cascades' Stinky didn't have much of an answer to, making it a 1-1 series. Stinky retook a series lead with a quick win in game 3, making the 1-7 combination to the top left on his second shot after Kavan set it up for him, and Stinky leads 2-1 now. Kavan made a huge six-ball run-out in game 4, tying the series at 2 against Stinky with the big series of well-executed shots. In game 5, the players exchanged shots pretty evenly throughout, and Kavan got the finish, making the 6 and 7 to win the series 3-2. Ranked #45 for 7-ball, Kavan will head to Pronger's Ford Forum to face the Tridents' Hoot in the third round. As of this series, the red cue is considered in need of repair, as the shaft is becoming loose when in use. A new shaft may be accepted for use in this tournament if the need becomes dire.

Samsung Arena, Whitewater: Wild Thing v. Wings. Big sluggers battle it out in 9-ball with the silver cue. Pearl's Wings took game 1, which played out in a back-and-forth manner between him and Whitewater's Wild Thing, and Wings owns a 1-0 series lead after tapping the 9 to the bottom right. The Shores' Wild Thing made a few bad errors in game 2, and it proved costly when he couldn't bury the 9, allowing the Surfers Wings to cut it in the bottom side for the win and a 2-0 lead in the series. Wings had the bad mistake this time, missing the 8 and allowing Wild Thing to get on the board with the last two shots, earning a win to make it a 2-1 series now. Wings worked up a four-ball run in game 4, setting the tone, but Wild Thing wouldn't let him get back to the table, making the last two balls again to tie the series at 2 with a critical win. In game 5, Wild Thing dominated possession and closed with a four-ball run-out, ending on a crisp shot of the 9 to the top left. Wild Thing took the series 3-2, and will host Kiwi of the Terrace City Knights at this venue in the third round with his #10 ranked campaign continuing.

Home Depot Forum, Web City: Shiny v. Sprinkles. The night starts with the blue cue and 12-ball. Shiny of Web City struggled a bit in closing out game 1, but Capital City's Sprinkles couldn't keep up defense, and eventually buckled to give Shiny the win and a 1-0 series lead. In game 2, Sprinkles worked a four-ball run to pace her attack as the Sharpshooters star fought hard with a resilient Shiny of the Spiders. Shiny did miss contact once, allowing Sprinkles to end the game from ball-in-hand, tying the series at 1. Each player made game 3 more difficult for themselves with bad positioning decisions, but Sprinkles eventually managed to overcome surrendering a wild card ball at the break when she got a straight shot on her last ball to take a 2-1 series lead after a Shiny scratch. Sprinkles did everything she could to play defense as game 4 saw a number of complications as well, but Shiny overcame the final barrier, jumping Sprinkles' 15 to pot her own 1 in the top left, tying the series at 2. In game 5, Sprinkles had some savvy shots that saved her time, and they led her to a win to take the series 3-2. Ranked #15 in 12-ball, Sprinkles will play in the third round.

Kraft Forum, Royal: Marsell v. Patches. The red cue, in all its dilapidated glory, gets this series of Accuracy. Boston's Patches had the slight edge in a competitive game 1, and eventually forced Royal's Marsell into a late miss to take the win 2-3 and earn a 1-0 series lead with the decent defense. The Swifts' Patches had a stronger game 2 on the defensive front, forcing the Crowns' Marsell into an early hole that he nearly got out of before falling with a late miss to make it 2-4 for Patches, who leads the series 2-0 now. Patches didn't have the best of games in game 3, playing a bit sloppily at times when Marsell had possession, but those times were limited as he lost 4-7, and Patches secured the series at 3-0. Marsell did a bit of PR shooting in game 4, taking bad shots to leave Patches with bad shots, inflating the score and what ended up as a 4-5 win for Patches, putting her at 4-0 in the series. Patches capped the 5-0 sweep with a big win in game 5, watching Marsell catch her and then unravel in the ending to lose 2-5. Ranked #51 for Accuracy, Patches will host Chimpy of the Modernistic Union at Boston's Coca-Cola Field Exhibition Center in the third round.

McDonald's Hall, Atlantic: Americus v. Cassandra. A big Eastern Hills derby is contested with the red cue in 15-ball. Atlantic's Americus brought game 1 to a merciful early end, as both herself and Diamond's Cassandra struggled with the cue. Americus won and took a 1-0 lead with a 6-15 combination to the bottom side. During a late-game turn by the Gems' Cassandra in game 2, the shaft was deemed unplayable going forward. The shaft used for the blue cue will be used for the remainder of this week's games, and no further games will be played until a replacement is acquired after March 19. Cassandra went on to take a four-ball run, but fell short with the Pirates' Americus making the last two shots to take a 2-0 series lead. Americus gave Cassandra easy access to a game 3 victory, leaving the 5-15 combination exposed toward the top right, which Cassandra converted to get a win and make it 2-1 in the series. Americus technically ended game 4 early, with a 14-15 combination to the bottom side, but it was a labored effort on both sides to get Americus to 3-1 in the series, with some of the weaker efforts we've seen this week. Americus ended game 5 in fine form, winning again with a four-ball run-out, including a deft series of a 12-14-13 combination, a carom off the 12 to take the 14 in the top right, and then a double-pot of the 12 and 15 to the bottom side and bottom right for the win. Ranked #6 for 15-ball, Americus uses a 4-1 series win to host a third round series.

Intel Center, Diamond: Smokey v. Sprinkles. The shafts will be switched for this 15-ball series with the blue cue. Capital City's Sprinkles took game 1, having a slight edge in terms of possession over Diamond's Smokey, who was less-than-precise in taking the loss and falling behind 1-0 in the series. The Sharpshooters' Sprinkles probably got lucky to win game 2, hammering the 4 into the 15, which careened off the bottom rail and found the top left pocket, stunning the Gems' Smokey as Sprinkles now holds a 2-0 series lead, threatening Smokey's A-level perfection so far. Smokey staved off the danger for game 3, overcoming a five-ball run that paced Sprinkles' offense to end up with a win in a tight finish, making it a 2-1 series at this point. Smokey survived again in game 4, watching Sprinkles have two separate four-ball runs early in the game, only to fall short in the end as Smokey drilled the 15 from distance after Sprinkles couldn't corral it, tying the series at 2. Game 5 went well for both players, as it was a close and competitive game all the way through. It ended in heartbreaking fashion for Smokey, who potted the 15 but also scratched. Sprinkles won 3-2, and her #96 ranked 15-ball campaign will be on the road again for the third round.

Intel Center, Diamond: Smokey v. Jennifer Livilotti. The shafts switch one more time for a series of Rotation with what amounts to the red cue right now. Diamond's Smokey had to make a big rally to recover from the high-offense game provided by Terrace City's Jennifer, but Smokey won 8-7 on a four-ball run-out to answer her three-ball run, giving the host a 1-0 series lead. The Knights' Jennifer didn't allow the Gems' Smokey to get back into game 2, pulling away to an 8-2 victory on a five-ball run-out, capped by an 8-14 combination to the bottom right. Smokey carved out and protected a lead in game 3, and Jennifer proved highly ineffective to make it worse for her as Smokey cruised to an 8-3 win, regaining the series lead at 2-1. Jennifer fought back again, taking game 4 on a four-ball run-out to come from behind and beat smokey 8-6, tying the series at 2 with another gutsy effort against an established veteran. Smokey pulled out to a nice lead in game 5, but Jennifer proved relentless, scoring the upset with an 8-6 win to steal the series 3-2. Ranked #85 for Rotation, Jennifer heads into the third round with a big win.

McDonald's Hall, Atlantic: Amber v. Princess. The final series of this week is the silver cue playing Rotation. Atlantic's Amber had to fight for every ball with Tysini's Princess, overcoming the latter's early blitz to work her way to an 8-6 win and a 1-0 series lead with the decent showing. Game 2 saw absolute dominance from the Pirates' Amber, who didn't score on the break but had a quick four-ball run to stake out a lead and made quick work of the rest amid inefficiency from the Hummingbirds' Princess. Amber won 8-1, and leads the series 2-0. Game 3 was just an absolute highlight reel. Amber began with a four-ball run, which Princess answered with three spectacular kicks in a row to cut the deficit down with. They exchanged tricks in lesser volumes until the end, where a 13-14 kick combination by Amber put her ahead for good, and she followed up on the 13 to get the 8-6 win and clinch the series at 3-0. Amber had to put a bit more effort into winning game 4, as it was a grittier and less spectacular game than its predecessor, and Princess proved more resilient. Still, Amber took the lead late and won 8-6, making it a 4-0 series. Amber played a bit lazy in game 5, but still got the result, as Princess just didn't have it tonight, losing 8-5 and taking the series in a 5-0 sweep. Ranked #11 for Rotation, Amber is through to the third round.

Publication of this is behind due to internet issues. Pool will be off until May, but Cricket will be in full action over the next few weeks to fill the time.