2017 Qualifiers - Day 23

Today, we're aiming to play 40 or 45 games. We'll begin with...

Group one, and their first player, Roxy, as the Freedom Cascades is the 92nd player done with qualifying by playing Accuracy with the silver cue. Roxy needed 19 shots for the game, taking nothing on the break but also avoiding errors. She ended qualifying with 160 shots, a bit weaker than expected. Next up, Leandra of the Tysini Hummingbirds plays Accuracy with the silver cue, the 93rd player to finish qualifying. Leandra struggled with placing her shots in this game, needing 24 shots with nothing made on the break and no errors in the appearance. She had a total of 164 shots over her qualifiers. The third player of the day is Ms. Puppy of the Modernistic Union plays 10-ball with the blue cue. Ms. Puppy needed only 14 shots with one error and one ball potted on the break in a very strong game for the captain. Moving along, Sydney Sierota, the Harrison Specters sophomore, shoots Rotation with the blue cue. Sydney didn't get a ball on the break, and she took four errors for the game, ending on 25 shots in a fairly strong performance. The group ends with Bright of the North Modernistic Nighthawks playing 12-ball with the silver cue. Bright had 24 shots for the game, getting nothing on the break and somehow avoiding errors in an unfriendly game.

The second group gets going with Taylor Swift of the Eastside Sharks finishing her qualifying with the blue cue in Accuracy, the 94th player to do so. Taylor didn't get a ball on the break, and she had some issues in the middle of the game but stayed error-free in 20 shots. Overall, she took 146 shots during qualifying. Continuing along, Luigi of the North Modernistic Nighthawks finishes qualifying 95th, playing Accuracy with the blue cue as well. Luigi faded after a fairly hot start, but he didn't get a ball on the break, nor did he take any errors in his 20 shots. Luigi finished with 164 shots total, a middling performance as a whole. Americus, the Atlantic Pirates veteran, gets the next game as she plays 12-ball with the blue cue. Americus made a ball on the break and dazzled throughout, floating effortlessly from shot to shot as she took no errors in 16 shots for the game. The ninth player of the day is Ms. Puppy of the Union, returning to play 12-ball with the blue cue. Ms. Puppy didn't do well in this game, taking two balls on the break but also two errors on scratches after a bit of frustration set in. She was unable to set herself up well, ending with 28 shots in a poor game. The group closes with Bianca, the Southridge Defenders rookie, who will shoot 15-ball with the red cue. Bianca finished the game with 22 shots, taking three errors and not quite making anything on the break in a good game for the rookie.

The third batch starts with Jennifer Livilotti, the Terrace City Knights veteran, who will use the silver cue in Accuracy to be the 96th player done with qualifying. Jennifer didn't have a ball on the break despite many close calls, but she also didn't take an error, wiping the table clear in 16 shots. She ended her qualifying run with 150 total shots, a strong mark. Up next, her sister Stephanie shoots 15-ball with the red cue. Stephanie did make a ball on the break, but this was offset by four errors during the game after the sight lines eroded. Stephanie finished with 24 shots for the game, ending on a 7-15 combination to the top left. The thirteenth player called to shoot today is Princess, the Tysini Hummingbirds captain, who will use the red cue for Accuracy as the 97th player to finish qualifying. Princess was a bit worse than average in this game, using 19 shots with nothing on the break and no errors, and she had 58 total shots in qualifying. Moving along, Precious of the Pronger Tridents plays 15-ball with the silver cue. Precious just narrowly missed out on getting balls on the break, and she had the 15 close at a couple of pockets but couldn't convert, taking three errors in 26 shots for the game. Finishing the group, Strawberry of the Modernistic Union plays 15-ball with the red cue. Strawberry didn't get a ball on the break, and she added four errors to her score when she missed valiant efforts at hard shots, ending with 29 shots for the game.

Group four opens with Leonardo of the Midland Predators playing 12-ball with the silver cue. For getting nothing on the break, Leonardo made the most of the game, taking the rack in 18 shots with no errors, and it could have been quicker had he not shot so cautiously. Following that, Leonardo plays again, using the red cue for Rotation. Leonardo came out pretty fast in this game, taking three errors but also clearing the rack in 20 shots despite not making anything on the break. He used two double-pot plays to help the game progress along so fast. Frosty of the Stonebridge Wolves gets the next game, using the red cue in 10-ball. Frosty made a ball on the break, and her shooting was good for the entire game, as she ended with 5 shots when driving the cue off the 3 to take the 10 in the top right, ending with no errors. Continuing along, Leonardo is called again, shooting 15-ball with the silver cue in this game. Leonardo's suddenly fast pace caught up with him here, as he took four errors without making a ball on the break, ending with 33 shots in his worst game yet. The twentieth player drawn to shoot today is Specters sophomore Sydney Sierota, returning to play 15-ball with the blue cue. Sydney needed 23 shots in the game, just missing getting a ball on the break, and she shot with six errors, all intentional, to produce such a score.

The fifth bunch kicks off with Sparkles of the Todavía Stills shooting 12-ball with the blue cue. Sparkles took a ball on the break, but also her only error as another stripe fell in the same pocket. She would then need just 18 shots for the game, picking around the rack well to finish with a good score. The 22nd player called today is Nicole of the Capital City Sharpshooters, becoming the 98th player done with qualifying as she plays Accuracy with the silver cue. Nicole had a good break, making one ball, and she wouldn't take an error during the game, closing at 20 shots. Overall, she was right around the average with 155 total shots. After that, Commerce Tradewinds sophomore Lorde plays Accuracy with the red cue, the 99th player done with qualifying. Lorde needed 20 shots for the game, going empty on the break and taking no errors in the appearance. She finished her qualifiers in 153 total shots, also right around the average. Moving along, Kiwi, the Terrace City Knights captain, plays Rotation with the silver cue. Kiwi had nothing from her break, and she would collect three errors despite her best efforts to avoid them, but she ended with 28 shots, a reasonable mark for the game. Wrapping up the group, Kiwi's Knights teammate Stripes plays Accuracy with the silver cue, the 100th player to complete qualifying. Stripes made a ball on the break, but her shooting was not precise in this game, as she would take 22 shots without an error to clear the table. She did do well in an overall sense, taking only 143 shots for her qualifiers.

Group six begins with the Stills' Sparkles returning to the table for Rotation with the silver cue in this game. Sparkles had a bit of luck in the early going, but it quickly faded, and her empty break and three errors added up to 27 shots for the game after a late burst of good shooting. Next up is Atlantic Pirates captain Delila shooting 15-ball with the silver cue as it continues a stretch of games. Delila had only one error in the game, a scratch on her otherwise empty break, and she ended with a fluky shot that saw her kick the 10 off the end of the bottom side, directing into the 15 which fell in the top side for a score of 19 shots. Kiwi, the Knights captain, returns for the next game, playing 15-ball with the red cue. Kiwi stayed true to her shot despite not making a ball on the break and taking a very slow pace through the game. She shot hard and took only one error for the appearance, eventually making the 9-15 combination to the top right to finish with 21 shots in an early departure. The 29th player called today is Caitlin of the Oceanside Waves, shooting 15-ball with the silver cue. Caitlin had one of the worst games of the season, needing 42 shots with six errors to get through the rack despite having the 15 sitting right on the edge of a pocket for what amounted to over half the game. The last player before a much-delayed mid-afternoon break is Dustin, the Central Warriors superstar, who will use the red cue for Rotation. Dustin closed with 36 shots for the game, taking six errors and making a ball on the break in another painful performance that will draw the attention of the league for the night session.

Under careful surveillance, the seventh batch leads off with Puff II of the Boston Swifts being the 101st player to finish qualifying by playing Accuracy with the blue cue. Puff II didn't get a ball on the break, but her play was strong throughout the game, ending with no errors in her 17 shots. Overall, she had 155 shots for all of her qualifiers. Next up, her Swifts teammate Gradley shoots 15-ball with the blue cue. Gradley made a ball on the break, and he had just one error in the game, ending with a spectacular 20 shots as he was in firm control of the table throughout the game. Following that, Defenders rookie Stephanie Livilotti shoots Accuracy with the silver cue, the 102nd player to complete qualifying. Stephanie made a ball on the break, and narrowly avoided any errors in scoring 19 for the game, a good performance. She ended with 167 total shots in qualifiers, which is a bit disappointing for the highly-hyped rookie. The 34th player called to play today is Jake of the Royal Crowns, who will shoot 15-ball with the silver cue. Jake had nothing on the break, but his early shooting staked out quite the advantage, and while he slipped with two errors later, he still had only 24 shots for the game. Rounding out the group, and ending the league monitoring, is Slinks of the Westside Rockers, playing Accuracy with the blue cue as the 103rd player to complete qualifiers. Slinks erred on her break, her only one, and she would need 22 shots for the game, fading late after a dominant start. She had a score of 142 for all qualifying efforts, a good mark in her first moments with the team.

The eighth group sees Stonebridge Wolves rookie Prism playing Rotation with the blue cue. Prism made a ball late on the break in this game, and took only one error as she cruised around the rack, ending with a very solid 22 shots for one of her best performances so far. The 37th player of the day is Dreamy, who is also the 104th player done with qualifying as she plays Accuracy with the red cue. Dreamy made a ball on the break in a fairly convincing first shot, but she also had one error. This shook her confidence, running her score up to 21 shots for the game. Overall, she finished with 155 total shots for qualifiers. Moving along, Strawberry of the Union comes back as the 105th player to finish qualifying, playing Accuracy with the red cue. Strawberry had an excellent break in this game, making two balls and starting very strong, but her late-game shooting produced an error and ended her turn at 20 shots. She had 183 overall shots in all of qualifying, doomed by incomplete efforts for a whole game that could define her season. B. Chapman of the Victoria Spurs has the next game, using the silver cue for 15-ball. Chapman made two balls on the break, but the rest of the game was not that easy, requiring two errors and a stubborn dedication to honest play to finish with 29 shots for the appearance. At the end of the group, Dewey, the Oceanside Waves rookie, plays 12-ball with the silver cue. Dewey made two balls on the break, and he had no errors in the game, setting himself up nicely for a game-ending double-pot of the 6 to the bottom side and the 5 to the bottom left. He finished the game with 16 shots.

Today's final group opens with Oreo of the Terrace City Knights playing Accuracy with the red cue, the 106th player to finish qualifying. Oreo made two balls on her break shot, and she barely slowed down at all after that, finishing with 16 shots for the game. Oreo's overall score was 151, a little better than the average. The 42nd player to shoot today is A. Charlton of the Golden Pilots, who will shoot her 10-ball with the blue cue. Charlton had her first really bad game of qualifying, taking 24 shots without a ball on the break, and four of those were errors thanks to difficult shooting positions. Up next, the Swifts' Gradley is the 107th player to finish qualifying as he shoots Accuracy with the blue cue. Gradley made a ball on his break, and after a bit of early sputtering, he got his game together and shot 18 with no errors for a good performance. Overall, he could have done better, taking 162 total shots for the sessions. Following that, Charlton is back to shoot 12-ball with the blue cue. Charlton had some struggles in this game, getting nothing on the break and taking one error during the appearance. Her set-up work was a bit slow, but she ended with a respectable 25 shots. Finally, the day ends with the Crowns' Jake playing Accuracy with the red cue, the 108th player to finish qualifying. Jake needed only 17 shots, making a ball on the break and avoiding errors, to complete a solid game. It was one of his highlights, as he had 166 total shots in qualifying.

There's only two more days staked out for qualifying, and I hope to get some cricket played for Wednesday as well.