It's the last day we work on the paper brackets for this tournament, with six series to wrap up the cue-specific brackets. Tomorrow and Thursday will be the two-part Finals event. We begin today with...
UPS Hall, Maplewood: Bryant v. Chimpy. Two players who weren't expected to do much meet for the red cue Accuracy title in this series. Maplewood's Bryant collected the game 1 win, coming from behind to tie things at the end of regulation, and then winning 2-3 after Modernistic's Chimpy saw his strategy fail, giving Bryant a 1-0 series lead. The Lumberjacks' Bryant started game 2 well but crashed and burned quickly, missing six out of seven shots at one point as he eventually lost 3-6, with the Union's Chimpy providing a steady hand in the win to tie the series at 1. Chimpy and Bryant battled for a long time without a miss in game 3, but Bryant missed three in a row late, and Chimpy took advantage of this, staying nearly perfect as he made it a 1-3 win to take the 2-1 series lead in fine form. Game 4 saw both players make faults when they had a chance to hold the lead, and then in the end, Bryant played defense to prevent Chimpy from getting a good look at the last ball in a tied game. Bryant buried it on his next turn, winning 3-4 to retie the series at 2. Game 5 saw a bit more of the same at times, but Bryant held on strongly to his second lead until it was secure. The game ended with a couple of misses, but Bryant closed with a 2-3 win to make it 3-2 in the series for him. Chimpy, who is no stranger to dangerously close calls throughout his career, forced Bryant into a situation to miss two straight shots, allowing Chimpy to steal the 3-4 win away, tying the series once more at 3 as Chimpy attempts his signature come-from-behind games to move forward. Game 7 played out as advertised, with the lead switching hands a number of time. Bryant had to make a brilliant shot on the 10 to the bottom side to force overtime, and Chimpy's overtime break ended in a scratch. Bryant made his next shot, winning 3-4 to take the series 4-3. Bryant advances his #74 ranked Accuracy bid into the finals, carrying an 18-9 record through his bracket. Chimpy is the 105th player eliminated, with Bryant picking up his fourth kill of the year.
Mercedes-Benz Forum, Harrison: Twinkie II v. Smokey. In a nearby town, the blue cue is in for 7-ball. Harrison's Twinkie II had a couple of wonky shots in game 1, but Diamond's Smokey only had a highlight-reel kick on the 3 along the bottom rail to the bottom left. Twinkie II closed out the game with a three-ball run-out to earn a 1-0 series lead with her win. The Specters' Twinkie II made two on the break and then double-potted the 1 and 5 to the bottom left as part of an opening five-ball run. The Gems' Smokey had a chance at the 7, but couldn't put it in the top side, and Twinkie II took it in the top left for the win and a 2-0 series lead. Smokey got on the board in game 3, capitalizing after Twinkie II scratched from ball-in-hand from his scratch, and Smokey finished with a four-ball run-out to get the win to cut the series to 2-1. Twinkie II looked ready to break out for a table-clearing run, but it got cut down to just a five-ball run after she missed the 6. Smokey was prepared, tapping in the 6 and 7 on his next two shots to snag the win and tie the series at 2. Twinkie II had the majority share of possession in game 5, but it was very spread out, and this caused a few scares for the home fans as Smokey looked ready to make a long run before Twinkie II got control and made the final two shots. Twinkie II leads the series 3-2. Smokey played patiently in game 6, allowing Twinkie II the early possession and then striking back with a three-ball run-out at the end to grab the win, tying the series at 3 as he looks for a perfect break in the final game. Game 7 had the fans holding each breath they could as the shots were taken. Smokey's issue came when he shot the 6 wide at the top right, lining Twinkie II up to make the last two shots, and she did so for a 4-3 series win. Twinkie II is ranked #9 in 7-ball, and went 17-10 on the bracket to get to the finals. Smokey is the 106th player to fall, likely hurting his MVP chances even though he knows he'll be back with the Gems as captain next season. Twinkie II took her fourth kill of the tournament.
Coca-Cola Field Exhibition Center, Boston: Puff II v. Shannon. The silver cue gets a nod in Accuracy. Boston's Puff II stuck to pacing herself with Southern's Shannon at first in game 1, before going into a defensive technique at the end, creating a 3-5 win for Puff II that has her ahead 1-0 in the series already. The Swifts' Puff II had trouble finding her shooting style in game 2, and this led to many misses piling up. The Monarchs' Shannon wasn't perfect, but she honed in better and took the win 3-4, only close due to a scratch at the end. The series is tied at 1. Puff II made a huge push in game 3 to keep the game tied through regulation, only to miss her only shot in overtime and lose 2-3 as Shannon pulls ahead for a 2-1 series lead. Puff II had no traction in game 4, tied with Shannon for only a split second before she missed her own shot and then fell behind 1-2, the eventual final. Shannon took a 3-1 series lead with the performance. Game 5 saw a mass of misses in the middle of the game, but none more important that a late one by Shannon that caused overtime. In overtime, Puff II scratched on the break, and this allowed Shannon her pick of a shot to end the game and clinch the series with the 4-5 win she got, making the series 4-1 in her favor. Game 6 saw the players put on a show in the first half before creating some drama late, but Puff II ultimately fell again, losing 2-3 when she shot the 14 well wide of her target, allowing Shannon to push the series to 5-1. By the end of game 7, apathy had caught up with the players as the facility emptied ahead of the next series at the end of the round. Puff II missed two chances to get the win, allowing Shannon to force overtime, where she got the 6-7 win to finish the series at 6-1. Shannon is ranked #84 in Accuracy, and went 19-8 over the bracket to earn a trip to the finals.
Apple Center, Todavía: Sierra v. Dustin. The silver cue makes its final appearance of the round in Rotation. Todavía's Sierra took a sloppy game 1 win, where miscues were the order of the day, especially as Central's Dustin had one that allowed Sierra to get her 8-5 win for a 1-0 series lead at the end. The Warriors' Dustin answered with a much more impressive game 2 effort, piecing together a four-ball run to pace his attack, and burying the Stills' Sierra in possession as he marched to an 8-1 win to tie the series at 1. Sierra brought the crowd back to life with a thrilling game 3, running three balls to gain the lead against Dustin and then countering his short attack on his third turn with her four-ball run-out to make it 8-2, giving her a 2-1 series lead with the bold win. Frustrations built up pretty high in game 4, especially for Dustin, who was able to channel them into a comeback victory by an 8-7 score after Sierra stalled out and couldn't finish off the game. Dustin tied the series at 2, and both players were warned about behavior for the remainder of the series. Dustin had a strong game 5 to calm him down, building up a lead only to see Sierra rally back to tie the game before Dustin emerged with an 8-4 win on a four-ball run-out, with the win putting him ahead 3-2 in the series. Both players seemed to get the message, playing more civilly. Dustin had a tough time holding a lead in game 6, letting Sierra pull even with him three times, although the last of those instances was a short one, as Sierra rallied on a three-ball run-out for an 8-6 win, retying the series at 3. Game 7 played about as tight as a game could be played, with Dustin and Sierra staying within one ball of each other for most of the game. Dustin finally pulled away late, and Sierra desperately tried to make the 12 with position, but scratched to fall 8-5. Dustin took the series 4-3, and the #45 ranked Rotation player got through the bracket on a 6-1 record. Sierra is the 107th player to be eliminated, while Dustin extends his league lead in kills with his sixth, and he'll also be the only player in the finals with more than one campaign left as he asserts himself in the MVP race.
UPS Hall, Maplewood: Diddley v. Jennifer Livilotti. The red cue gets back for the last two series, with Rotation being the first of those. Terrace City's Jennifer got a bit lazy with a lead, allowing Maplewood's Diddley to pull back a bit in game 1, but Jennifer shut the door with an 8-5 win before he could fully rally, earning a 1-0 series lead for herself. The Knights' Jennifer again played poorly with a late lead, and the Lumberjacks' Diddley made sure this one would cost her, cutting the 15 to the bottom side after she failed to bank it to the top side. Diddley won 8-7, tying the series at 1. Jennifer had a lead at one point in game 3, but she let Diddley back in, and he eventually pulled ahead after some shenanigans on the 11 to get the 8-6 win to take a 2-1 series lead with. Diddley had game 4 under control from the start, and while Jennifer made a couple of pushes to get back into it, Diddley ultimately shut the door to win 8-4 and move up to a 3-1 series lead with his strong appearance. Jennifer took series survival into her own hands in game 5, blasting a huge seven-ball run on her first turn to set the tone of the game. Diddley had one more shot, a miss, and Jennifer iced the game at an 8-0 shutout to cut the series to 3-2. Diddley had a much better response to Jennifer's aggressive stance in game 6, keeping pace with her early on before busting out a three-ball run. Jennifer couldn't get any closer after that, and Diddley made his final shot on the 9 for an 8-3 win to clinch the series at 4-2. Jennifer got one last swipe in, shooting vigorously and effectively in game 7 to earn herself an 8-4 win, leaving Diddley with a 4-3 series win in the end. Diddley is ranked #18 in Rotation, and made it through the bracket with an 18-9 record to get to the finals. Jennifer is the 108th player to be knocked out, and Diddley scored his second kill of the tournament.
Coca-Cola Field Exhibition Center, Boston: Gradley v. Kavan. The last series of the round is 7-ball with the red cue. Boston's Gradley had a slight edge in possession in game 1, lifting him to a victory as he made the last two balls after Victoria's Kavan missed on the 6. Gradley leads the series 1-0. The Swifts' Gradley made the first two and the last two to win game 2, sandwiching that around a three-ball run by the Spurs' Kavan, who again came out empty-handed despite a decent effort that saw Gradley take a 2-0 series lead. Gradley wasted no time in extending that to a 3-0 series lead, winning game 3 on the break as the 7 fell in the top side, which kept Kavan away from the table and likely guarantees his departure. Kavan knew how desperate his situation had become when he tried a jump over the 6 to get the 9. He made the shot, but the cue bounced off the table. Gradley couldn't finish the game, missing on the 7, and Kavan tapped it in to save his season as the series moves to 3-1. Gradley struggled a bit to get back on track in game 5, but Kavan was not better, missing plenty of shots. The two exchanged iffy play for most of the game, and then Gradley iced it with the last two balls, sealing the series at 4-1. Game 6 was everything one could want in a game of 7-ball, as Gradley made a three-ball run from the break, and Kavan answered with a four-ball run-out to grab the win, cutting the series down to 4-2. Gradley iced the series with a decent game 7, not his best but far from his worst as he took the series 5-2 with the win. Ranked #32 in 7-ball, Gradley went 19-8 on the bracket to get to the finals. Kavan is the 109th player to be eliminated, and Gradley picked up his first kill of the year.
Tomorrow, the Finals begin with the preliminary portion. The schedule for finals and other upcoming events will be posted tonight, with venues to be determined for the playoffs. The standings will also be updated tonight.
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