We'll make a slight schedule change to accommodate potential travel and weather concerns today. The series with Mr. Snowman and Snuggle against Chris and Shawn is postponed to the next segment. With that, we begin with...
Dusty and Patches, the Original Generation, against Gizmo and Bear, the Checkers. The blue cue will play this series. The Checkers came out much stronger in game 1 than the Original Generation, as Dusty's weak break left the hosts vulnerable. Gizmo had a four-ball run and Bear followed with a three-ball run and a good leave for the 8. Bear made the final shot after Patches' three-ball run ended, giving the Checkers a 1-0 series lead. The Original Generation got their revenge in game 2, a much choppier game after Gizmo's average break. Neither team saw a player go on a deep run, and it would be a late scratch by Bear opening Patches' path for the win, ending on a bank of the 8 to the bottom left to tie the series at 1. The Checkers pulled back with a fairly strong game 3. Dusty scratched on the break, hurting the Original Generation quite a bit, and Gizmo and Bear chipped away at the rack until Bear unleashed a long bank of the 8 to the top right to secure the win and a 2-1 series lead. Bear continued to be an elite finisher for the Checkers, clinching the series after Dusty's four-ball run proved too little for the Original Generation. Gizmo had gotten things ready, but it was Bear on the three-ball run-out, banking the 8 to the top left to clinch it. The Original Generation saved face with a game 5 win, each managing to pot four balls, including Patches' four-ball run-out from ball-in-hand after an egregious missed contact from Bear. The series ended 3-2 for the Checkers, with Gizmo and Bear heading to the second round.
Next up, the silver cue will oversee Zach and Hannah, the Shy Ones, against Easter and Whiskers, or Atomic Aunt. It was a quick victory for Atomic Aunt in game 1, as Easter pounded a five-ball run after an empty break from the Shy Ones' Zach. Whiskers got the last shots set up on her turn, and Easter closed with a pair of tap-ins to make it 1-0 Atomic Aunt. The Shy Ones stayed in it as Zach and Hannah took advantage of some missed shots from Easter and Whiskers in game 2. These critical misses were heavily punished, and it ended with a scratch that saw Hannah make the last two shots to tie the series at 1. Atomic Aunt recovered with a pretty solid win in game 3, capitalizing on a couple of misses from Hannah to establish a bit of control. Whiskers and Zach exchanged bad misses late in the game, but this allowed Easter to end it for a 2-1 lead for Atomic Aunt, as the Shy Ones continue to struggle with their accuracy. Whiskers ascended to a higher status for game 4, running seven balls on her first and ultimately only turn, and Easter made the 8 after Hannah's short turn. This win secured the series at 3-1 for Atomic Aunt in a convincing and dominating fashion. Hannah brought some joy to the Shy Ones, making a four-ball run-out after a bit of a game 5 collapse for Atomic Aunt, and this big run by Hannah cut the series final to 3-2. Atomic Aunt will go through to the second round on their win.
The third series of the day features the rookie duo of Hughbert and Salmo, the Smalls, against Boots and Strawberry, the Junkyarders. The silver cue has another turn at the table for this series. The Junkyarders came away with a somewhat sloppy game 1 dominated by scratches from the Smalls, primarily from Hughbert throughout the game. Once the shots became clear, it was Boots who finished the game off and gave the Junkyarders a 1-0 series lead. The Junkyarders took a commanding 2-0 series lead after Boots took over game 2. It didn't look good initially, as she allowed Hughbert to work well after a decent break, but Strawberry and Salmo came up empty before a five-ball run from Boots changed the game. Boots would also make the final two shots for the win. Hughbert kept a run alive for the Smalls in game 3 with a kick-combination of the 12-15-14 to the top left corner, a stunning highlight executed to perfection. The run ultimately hit six balls, swaying the game significantly. The Junkyarders nearly rallied all the way back, but Strawberry's kill-shot on the 2 saw the ball bounce out of a crowded pocket and leave Salmo in line for the winning shot to keep the Smalls alive in the series at 2-1. Hughbert and Salmo nearly appeared to carry their momentum into game 4, with Salmo executing a pair of crazy caroms to get them onto the 8, but Boots squashed the rally on her turn, rocking a sharp five-ball run-out to clinch the series at 3-1 for the Junkyarders. Boots and Hughbert combined for all the offense in game 5. Hughbert had a three-ball run on the first turn after the break, but Boots answered with a four-ball run after that. Hughbert replied in form with a five-ball run-out to give Smalls a win, although the Junkyarders took the series 3-2. Boots and Strawberry, the most unlikely pairing in the tournament, will head to the second round.
Series four has Klaus and Prism, the Technicolor Christmas, facing Mams and Paps, the Panda Parents. The silver cue continues its reign at the table. Game 1 was a long and drawn-out process, with players rarely stringing more than one successful shot together. This slow pace continued to the end, where Prism was responsible for ending it by making the 8, sending Technicolor Christmas to a 1-0 series lead over the Mams-leaning Panda Parents. Mams made a critical error for the Panda Parents in game 2, one turn after her three-ball run gave them a bit of hope. She missed contact with the 8, allowing Prism to take the last two shots cleanly from ball-in-hand for the win, and Technicolor Christmas leads the series 2-0. Mams didn't need a lot of help from Paps in game 3, as she twice assembled three-ball runs under heavy pressure from Klaus of Technicolor Christmas. Mams' second three-ball run was the winner, and the Panda Parents now trail only 2-1 in the series. The Panda Parents paced game 4 quite easily, working from the break. Paps led the late offensive, making the 8 on his second try as they frustrated Klaus and Prism from getting any sort of long run going. The win by Paps tied the series at 2, sending it to one decisive game. Klaus found a highlight in game 5, working a double-pot that saw the 15 carom off the 12 and into the bottom side, driving the 12 to bottom left to start a run. That run went five balls, setting the tone to favoring his team. Mams and Paps worked back into it, but an untimely scratch from Mams led to Klaus scoring the final two balls to give Technicolor Christmas the 3-2 series win. They'll advance to the second round with the bold win over the veteran duo.
The blue cue returns to action as the First Generation of Puff I and Twinkie I faces Little Italy, Bianca and Isabella, as the fifth series of the day. The rookie duo of Little Italy took a little time to get warm, but once they got going, they had no trouble working around the more conservative First Generation. Bianca made a big run on her second turn, and Isabella followed up with a four-ball run-out to grab the win for a 1-0 series lead. Bianca got to play hero for Little Italy in game 2, working a three-ball run-out to answer Twinkie I's prior three-ball run that made the game a bit closer than the rookies preferred. The series now favors Little Italy 2-0. Puff I proved more detrimental to the First Generation in game 3, as she had a couple of misses that made it a lot easier for Little Italy to capitalize. Her worst mistake was potting one ball and nearly another near the end of the game, allowing Isabella to play off the tap-in and then drive the 8 to the bottom left for the win, securing the series at 3-0 with the savvy play. Little Italy did not relent in game 4 at all, with Bianca going on a four-ball run from break, and Isabella backing it up on a three-ball run. Isabella would be the one to get the chance to pot the 8 after a slight miss by Puff I after Twinkie I had a made a good effort to bring the First Generation back into the game. The series stands at 4-0 with a game to go. Little Italy decided to get tricky, having at least three shots of the lucky variety in game 5. Bianca had a couple of these during her opening five-ball run. Puff I would later cancel that out with a five-ball run, but she left things open for Isabella to make the last two shots, including potting the 8 off the 2 into the bottom side to complete the 5-0 series sweep that sees Little Italy advance to the second round in great form.
Another all-Reality battle awaits in series six, with the blue cue enabling Missy and Stinky, the Mismatch, to face off with Sugar and Spice, the Forgotten Generation. The Mismatch worked well together, as Missy and Stinky played off each other fairly well and capitalized when the Forgotten Generation made mistakes. The last of these was a scratch by Spice, which was taken advantage of three players later when Missy finished the game on a bank of the 8 hard off the bottom rail to the top side for the 1-0 Mismatch lead. Stinky tried to match his partner's finishing skill with a bank to the bottom side in game 2, but it went awry, and Mismatch took the loss when the 8 fell in the top side, gifting the win to the Forgotten Generation, who saw a decent effort from both players in the game that made it a 1-1 series. Game 3 played out in a very sloppy manner, with multiple illegal contact penalties on each time. It also got choppy at the end, as Missy had a miss on the 8, and Stinky had to clean it up before the equally ineffective Forgotten Generation could catch up. The Mismatch team is ahead 2-1 from Stinky's big finishing shot. Stinky appeared to set up Mismatch for a great finish in game 4, but Sugar had different plans, swooping in with a huge five-ball run-out featuring excellent positioning to nab the win and tie the series at 2, leaving the series to be decided by the final game. The Forgotten Generation took an early lead in this game, and while Mismatch put up a solid defense to keep game 5 going, Spice proved while she was the leader for her team, putting a spinning kick on the 8 to the top right from a long distance down and back. This amazing highlight shot gave the Forgotten Generation a 3-2 series lead and their ticket to the second round in a well-earned way.
In series seven, the silver cue makes its last appearance of the day in a battle between the Third Generation of Puff III and Twinkie III, and the Cougars, A. Charlton and Chelsea. The Third Generation is going to be ruing its missed chances in game 1, having at least three clean shots to finish the game and failing to. Instead, it was Charlton on her second try putting the 8 away for a 1-0 lead for the Cougars. Chelsea made a massive impact for the Cougars in game 2, constructing a six-ball run that left the Third Generation in trouble. Unfortunately for the Cougars, Charlton illegally potted the 8 prematurely, bailing out the Third Generation that had been ineffective in the game. The series is tied at 1. Game 3 stalled with the top left pocket getting full quickly, ruining the Third Generation's attack as they tried to slot one more ball in there. While the Cougars appeared to go after the pocket as well, it was all a ruse for Chelsea's kick of the 8 to the bottom left for the win, giving them a 2-1 series lead. Game 4 had another slow ending for the Cougars, but it was Chelsea's second try on the 8 that led them to victory whilst holding off the Third Generation's somewhat choppy attack as they tried to fight for their lives. The Cougars have clinched the series at 3-1 with the gutsy win. In game 5, it was Chelsea once again pacing the Cougars attack with a late five-ball run, but she needed Charlton to ice the game with a tap-in on the 8 after the Third Generation failed to get back in the game. The Cougars took the series 4-1, sending Charlton and Chelsea to the second round, with their opponent to be determined in today's final series thanks to the scheduling quirk.
Ending the day on the blue cue, Jake and Marsell, the Quarterbacks, face Cobalt and Fuchsia, the Neon Rabbits. Game 1 in this series went fairly back-and-forth after Jake established an early lead for the Quarterbacks. Cobalt and Fuchsia challenged on occasion, but the Neon Rabbits collapsed in the end as Marsell made the last two shots for a 1-0 Quarterbacks series lead. Game 2 went much the same way but with a faster pace, as Jake looked solid for most of the game for the Quarterbacks, and he capitalized on the end of Fuchsia's three-ball run that nearly pulled the Neon Rabbits level. Jake pounded the 8 to the top left, securing the win and extending the series lead to 2-0 Quarterbacks. In game 3, Fuchsia appeared to get away with illegal use of the stick late in the game, and made a shot on the play. However, the judgment was a legal shot. The Quarterbacks held off on protesting, and Jake made it all a moot point, as he made the last two shots for his team to secure the series at 3-0 with a bold and only slightly controversial victory. Game 4 showed a much more relaxed effort from both teams. Marsell had a four-ball run to make the Quarterbacks look good early on, but it was countered in the end by Cobalt, whose five-ball run-out for the Neon Rabbits gave them the win and made it 3-1 in the series as they try to redeem themselves a bit. Marsell appeared to be the only taking game 5 seriously, with an early three-ball run and a three-ball run-out to ice the game and finished the series with the Quarterbacks ahead 4-1. With the Neon Rabbits vanquished, the Quarterbacks will face Charlton and Chelsea, the Cougars, in the second round.
More Heart of the Game action will be conducted next week. The tournament is expected to end around Thanksgiving.
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