It's a whole round on the schedule for Thanksgiving day. We'll try to accomplish playing eight series today. We begin with...
The Quarterbacks, Jake and Marsell, opposing the Livilottis, Jennifer and Stephanie. The silver cue leads things off for today's action. The Livilottis showed a bit of impatience in game 1, trying to force the issue against Jake's defensive directive for the Quarterbacks. Jake was able to goad Stephanie into an illegal contact, while Jennifer missed on the 8, and then Marsell did the rest, making the last two shots for the Quarterbacks to get the win and a 1-0 series lead. Jennifer led a more organized attack for the Livilottis in game 2, as Stephanie provided set-up shots and Jennifer had a four-ball run and a three-ball run-out to top Jake's once-again defensive play for the Quarterbacks. Marsell couldn't convert a long run, and this led to Jennifer having the space for the win to tie the series at 1. The Livilottis nearly lost game 3, as Stephanie mishit the 8 on her second turn after a four-ball run. Jennifer had a three-ball run to get them close, but Jake kept the Quarterbacks on the pace. Marsell couldn't quite kick the 9 anywhere at the end of his turn, and Jennifer cut the 8 to the bottom left for the win, giving the Livilottis a 2-1 series lead. Game 4 was Stephanie's time to shine, as Marsell and Jake did well to tangle Jennifer up. Jake had a four-ball run to help the Quarterbacks to an early lead, but Stephanie held him off and then won the game with a five-ball run-out to clinch the series at 3-1 with the win. Jennifer didn't get anything from the break in game 5, allowing Jake and Marsell to pick away at the rack very efficiently. A couple of misses from the Livilottis further complicated their game, so the Quarterbacks won the game. The Livilottis still won the series 3-2, and they head to the Quarterfinals.
We'll do all the silver cue games first, so series two features Darkest Night's Nightfur and Midnight going against the Second Generation of Puff II and Twinkie II. In game 1, Twinkie II had a four-ball run as she established some offense for the Second Generation. Puff II was busy containing Midnight, but Nightfur was left free for Darkest Night, and Twinkie II's miss on the 15 allowed Nightfur to make the 7 and 8 for the win and a 1-0 series lead. Nightfur led the attack once again in game 2, using a four-ball run on her second turn to open the game up. Puff II answered with a three-ball run, but Twinkie II was stymied on her turn, and Nightfur cashed in on Midnight's set-up shot to make it 2-0 for Darkest Night. Nightfur got nothing on her break in game 3, and Midnight didn't offer a lot of support early on, as Puff II ran four balls and made a huge impact for the Second Generation. Twinkie II got them close, but it would be Nightfur's miss on the 8 that allowed Puff II to score it in the bottom side for the win, cutting the series to 2-1. Game 4 played out at a frenetic pace, with Puff II putting up a five-ball run from the break, answered by Nightfur's six-ball run that got Darkest Night to the break thanks to some collateral from Puff II. Twinkie II missed her shot, and Midnight secured the win for Darkest Night for a 3-1 series lead. In game 5, Nightfur's poor break allowed a lot of exchanging between the teams as defense was quite prevalent. Puff II made the most of it with a three-ball run-out at the end to take the win. Darkest Night won the series 3-2, advancing to the Quarterfinals with the performance.
Series three is the silver cue's last effort, featuring Acorn and Oreo, the Founders, against Muscle and Medicine's Rainmane and Slinks. Muscle and Medicine, as they've been known to do in this tournament, dominated early on, with Rainmane putting up a five-ball run. A scratch from Oreo made things worse for the Founders, and Rainmane was able to pot the 8 on her next turn to give her team a 1-0 series lead. The Founders answered with a much more confident game 2, challenging Rainmane's solid break very early on. Acorn had a four-ball run to help the cause, and Slinks has lacked the proper angle for her shots. This allowed Oreo to pile on, and eventually get the win with the last two shots, banking the 11 to the bottom right before putting the 8 there to tie the series at 1. Acorn's break in game 3 didn't leave much to be desired, allowing Muscle and Medicine and early run through Rainmane. The offense didn't last, and by the end of the game, a few misses caught up with Muscle and Medicine, allowing Oreo and Acorn to pick their way into the lead and then the win as Acorn made the final two shots to gain the 2-1 series lead. The Founders finally dispatched the hot-running Muscle and Medicine with a game 4 win, aided mostly by a break from Acorn that separated the suits. Rainmane and Slinks had trouble shooting stripes, while Acorn's six-ball run-out on solid lifted the Founders to a win to clinch the series at 3-1. Acorn once again provided the bulk of the offense in game 5, lifting the Founders to another win with a five-ball run to pull ahead of Muscle and Medicine, and then making the final two shots on his last turn. This win gave the Founders a 4-1 series win as they head to the Quarterfinals.
The red cue gets the next three series, starting with today's fourth, as the Otherentals, Bells and Hoot, face the Woodelands, Lexi and Caitlin. The Otherentals saw a hot start to game one, as Bells assembled a four-ball run from the break. Lexi did well to pace the Woodelands in response, but Caitlin shocked the Otherentals with a five-ball run-out featuring some crafty positioning to get the win and a 1-0 series lead. The Otherentals were quick to counter in game 2, capitalizing on Lexi's empty break and Caitlin's first turn ending in a miss, as both Bells and Hoot carved out small runs. Bells then left the 8 at the top right, and after another miss from Caitlin, Hoot was able to pot it on a tap-in for the win that tied the series at 1. Hoot had a good run in game 3, working four balls and applying defense to slow down the Woodelands. What he didn't expect was Caitlin once again emerging on a seven-ball run-out on her only turn of the game, securing the win with more positioning skill and a little collateral damage shooting tactic at one point. Caitlin's win restored the series lead at 2-1 for the Woodelands. Things started slowly again for the Woodelands in game 4, and they had to weather a deep run by Hoot, as he went four balls for his first turn. Lexi replied with a solid run, and Caitlin iced the game on a three-ball run-out in the end, with the win clinching the series for them at 3-1. The Woodelands appeared to have game 5 under control until the very end, where Hoot's four-ball run and Lexi's failed defensive leave on the 8 allowed Bells to make the last two shots on tap-ins for the win, bringing the series to its 3-2 close. The Woodelands advance to the Quarterfinals, where they will oppose the Livilottis, Jennifer and Stephanie.
In series five, Farm and Forest's Chicky Phil and Panda will oppose Destiny's Sierra and Spirit. Sierra picked up the red cue and ran five balls on her first turn, leaving no doubt as to which team would control the game. Destiny faltered in the middle of the game, allowing both members of Farm and Forest to get close, but Sierra tightened up at the end of the game to make the last two shots and give Destiny a 1-0 series lead after Chicky Phil's errant cut shot. Without Sierra in game 2, Farm and Forest would have had no offense, as Chicky Phil and Panda wasted five turns without making a ball while Sierra had made three of theirs as well as her fair share of Destiny's. Spirit was the one to finish off the win though, potting the final two balls to put Destiny ahead 2-0 in the series. Destiny nearly had game 3, with Sierra doing well with an empty break and working a three-ball run, but a four-ball run-out from Chicky Phil helped keep Farm and Forest alive to see another day, as the series moved to 2-1 with the winning drive by Chicky Phil. Farm and Forest again staved off defeat with a bold game 4, nullifying Spirit's efforts quite effectively and then using a three-ball run-out by Panda to top Sierra's three-ball run late in the game and earn the win, tying the series at 2 and leaving everything on the line for the final game. Chicky Phil will spend the rest of the tournament ruing his missed shot on the 8, ending his run at seven balls as he helped Farm and Forest back into game 5, only to watch Sierra take it all away on a five-ball run-out that gave Destiny the win and the series win at 3-2 as well. Destiny advances to the Quarterfinals against Darkest Night's Nightfur and Midnight.
Series six has Roxy and Nikolai, the Big Bears, going against Davidson's Conquest, featuring Kirstin and Niki. It took the Big Bears awhile to get going in game 1, allowing Davidson's Conquest free reign on each of their first turns. Kirstin and Niki had an easy going, and even when Roxy had a four-ball run for the Big Bears, things came around to Niki's three-ball run-out that gave Davidson's Conquest a 1-0 series lead. Kirstin had two balls on the break and made quick work of two more from the break, burying the Big Bears under a big deficit. They battled back well, but Roxy's second turn ended with her snookering herself and being unable to make legal contact, allowing Niki to play from ball-in-hand for the last two shots as she collected a win and a 2-0 series lead for Davidson's Conquest. The first half of game 3 saw Davidson's Conquest play both suits very well, as they made five of their own and two for the Big Bears. Roxy and Nikolai didn't appear to need the help until the game stagnated, with both teams missing a gluttony of shots for an extended period of time. Nikolai was the first to break through this, and Davidson's Conquest had to accept defeat when Kirstin left Roxy set up on the 8, which she scored for the win to make it 2-1 in the series. The Big Bears were doomed by a pair of scratches in game 4. Without those penalized shots, they likely would have won the game, but instead it was Kirstin and Niki finding joy by capitalizing on their shots, which culminated in Kirstin's winning pair of shots to secure the series at 3-1 for Davidson's Conquest. In the final game, a lucky shot for Roxy turned the tides for the Big Bears, who finally got a lucky break that allowed Roxy to halt Niki's impending supplementary attack and work a four-ball run-out to get the win, putting the series at 3-2 for the final score. Davidson's Conquest continues their run into the Quarterfinals.
In the seventh series, the blue cue takes over for the final two appearances of the day. This one has the Daughters of Delila, Fluffina and Precious, against Dogtown's Americus and Princess in an all-Delila Enterprises battle. Dogtown had a slow start, having to cope with the Daughters of Delila playing defense in game 1. The defense faltered as Precious proved unable to make some shots, and Princess eventually banked the 8 to the top left to complete the comeback for a win and a 1-0 series lead. In game 2, Dogtown always held the lead, as Princess did well on the break. Americus tried to be a bit creative at times, which led to defense at the top right pocket, and this shut down Precious' ideal shooting angle, allowing Princess to tap the 8 in for the win when the time was right, giving Dogtown a 2-0 series lead. A four-ball run by Princess and two more from Americus were not enough for Dogtown in game 3, as Americus left the 8 at the edge of the top right, and without any other defense, Precious had easy pickings for the Daughters of Delila, making her final three shots to nab the win and make it a 2-1 series. Dogtown again started slow in game 4, but made up for it with a three-ball run by Americus, followed by Fluffina's four-ball run on a counter for the Daughters of Delila that came up just short, allowing Princess to make a four-ball run-out and win it for Dogtown, securing the series at 3-1. Dogtown didn't take the most conventional route to victory in game 5, but the Daughters of Delila refused to get in the way, and Americus eventually made the final two shots after a pair from Princess to get the win and a 4-1 series win. Dogtown will face Davidson's Conquest in the Quarterfinals.
Closing out the long holiday, the Angel Bears, Bright and Wings, face the Forgotten Generation, Spice and Sugar, for the final spot in the quarterfinals. The Angel Bears came out fairly flat in game 1, and didn't receive much of a challenge until Sugar's five-ball run put the Forgotten Generation on the brink of victory. They stalled a bit more, but Spice eventually tallied the winning shot after a bad miss from Bright, giving the Forgotten Generation a 1-0 series lead. Bright managed a decent run in game 2, scaring the Forgotten Generation for a bit. It didn't last long, as Spice countered with a big closing run in the end, allowing Sugar's missed shot to act as a catalyst for a five-ball run-out with two sharply placed cuts to get the win and a 2-0 lead in the series. Bright put in a good run near the end of game 3, pacing the Angel Bears' attack with a four-ball run to clear the table off a bit. It didn't ultimately make a difference, as Sugar replied with a four-ball run-out of her own to get the win and clinch the series at 3-0 as the Forgotten Generation will see another series. Bright's five-ball run in game 4 paced the attack for the Angel Bears, and it was enough to hold off a three-ball run by Sugar. Bright used his second turn to bring the game to a close, making the final two balls and avoiding the sweep with a win to make it a 3-1 series, still favoring the Forgotten Generation. Bright and Wings had a lot of set-up work, but they never had a chance to cash it all in during game 5, as Spice led the Forgotten Generation to another win to make it 4-1. Spice did this after some set-up from Sugar, and then a well-executed five-ball run-out to wrap the series up. The Forgotten Generation will face Acorn and Oreo, the Founders, in the Quarterfinals.
It's all set to end tomorrow, with the final three rounds on the schedule. Reconstruction is still in progress as well, with approximately 12-16 hours left to work on. There's an outside chance both can be completed by Saturday night, but I'm not counting on it. Cricket should resume next week.
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