These eight series will formally close the B-level this year. After today, I plan on taking a break for much of next week to focus on Cricket and equipment maintenance, with the A-level to begin on Friday or Saturday. We begin the Final Round with...
House of 10 Windows, Del Sur: Shannon v. Brownie. The outgoing Monarch hosts the newest Hummingbird in the Rotation final, with the red cue making the start. Tysini's Brownie burst out to an early lead and a mid-game lead, but couldn't make either one stand against Southern's Shannon, who tied the first and went ahead in the end for the 8-7 win and a 1-0 series lead. The Monarchs' Shannon led for most of game 2, but she struggled from ball-in-hand when she missed the 9, and that would be the last offense she saw, as the Hummingbirds' Brownie came from behind to get the win at 8-6, tying the series at 1 and bringing the silver cue to the table. Shannon came out blazing in game 3, and would have won in a rout had Brownie not made a late rally. Brownie was spent trying to catch up, and Shannon made the last two balls to win 8-4 and take the series 2-1 for the gold, while Brownie settles for silver.
Ford Forum, Pronger: Zach v. Sprinkles. The 10-ball finale is led off by the red cue. Game 1 went back and forth, with Capital City's Sprinkles faring worse early on but getting lucky in the end when Pronger's Zach missed on the 10. Sprinkles tapped in the 10 on her try at it to get the win, putting her ahead 1-0 in the series, which sends the blue cue to the table for a game. The Sharpshooters' Sprinkles carried game 2 through its middle stages on a four-ball run, but things were chippy after this. Sprinkles had a good chance at the 10 wiped out by a scratch after Zach had scratched on the ball before the 10. In the end, Zach made his tap-in on the 10 on his second try to get the win, tying the series at 1 and giving the red cue another chance to make the home fans proud. Capital City's Sprinkles had a four-ball run going when she scratched after making the 6, but she thought the cue would come back to her. Instead, Zach made a three-ball run-out for the win and a 2-1 series win, which means he will hoist gold for this event.
Nestle's Warriors Hall, Central: Dustin v. Citrus. A Warrior familiar with medaling faces a challenge from the Gems star in the silver cue-led 9-ball final. Diamond's Citrus had the more impressive shots in game 1, and certainly avoided the worst one, which came as Central's Dustin scratched after making the 8. This gave Citrus ball-in-hand on the 9, which she converted for the win, the 1-0 series lead, and a game with the blue cue to follow. Game 2 was a bit more smooth for the players, with the Gems' Citrus scoring a three-ball run that looked like it could benefit the Warriors' Dustin. He missed on the 9, and this left Citrus in position to secure the series at 2-0 as she cut it to the bottom right, the first upset in the Final Round so far. Dustin saved some face in game 3, as Citrus had nothing after her three-ball break. Dustin made the 1-9 combination to the top right for a quick finish. Citrus took the gold with a 2-1 series win that wasn't easy but looked pretty solid.
McDonald's Hall, Atlantic: Klaus v. Spot. Two members of Outcast battle for 7-ball supremacy with the silver cue as Klaus' choice to lead off. Atlantic's Klaus was just a bit soft in banking his shot on the 5, which left the 6 standing to end a three-ball run in game 1. Pronger's Spot saw it out from here, winning with a three-ball run-out for the win and a 1-0 series lead. The red cue will administer game 2. Klaus didn't think he'd have enough for game 2, but the Pirates rookie ended up getting another chance, and he pulled off a two-rail bank on the 7 to the top left for the win, stunning the Tridents' Spot with the unlikely shot to tie the series and bring the silver cue back in play for the deciding game. Game 3 was going very much in favor of Klaus until the 5, where the host scratched after a long-distance shot. With only the 7 left on the table, Spot had a simple route to victory, burying it in the top side for the win and a 2-1 series win to take the gold.
Nestle's Warriors Hall, Central: Twilight v. Wario. After a break, the Accuracy final restarts things, with the silver cue leading off. Central's Twilight had the early advantage in game 1, but always seemed to lose it to Victoria's Wario. In the end, Twilight was good enough to force Wario into a late miss, and this paved Twilight's way to a 4-5 victory for a 1-0 series lead. The Spurs' Wario had a much stronger game 2, only missing on the last ball while the Warriors' Twilight flailed throughout the game, with the final score favoring Wario 1-4 as he tied the series at 1. Wario's red cue will play the decisive game. Twilight was nearly perfect in game 3, forcing Wario into an early miss. Things fell apart for Twilight at the end, where two straight misses were successfully countered by Wario to end the game with Wario winning 1-2. Wario took the series 2-1 for the gold.
Toyota Arena, Freedom: Roxy v. Marsell. The silver cue retains its opening position for 8-ball, which is also a Rivalry series. Freedom's Roxy surged forward with a four-ball run from the break, but Whitewater's Marsell did well to keep himself in the game, chipping back with short runs until he had a lead. It was short-lived, as Roxy soon ended game 1 with a win for herself and a 1-0 series lead. The Cascades' Roxy found herself on the wrong end of game 2, and had to assemble a furious four-ball rally just to make things respectable. The Shores' Marsell avoided Roxy's defense easily on the 8, shooting it after having an easy go early on as he took the win and tied the series at 1. The blue cue will be in action for the deciding game. Roxy had the early lead in game 3, but it stood no chance against a seven-ball run from Marsell, whose rally left him with a shot on the 8. Roxy had to counter, but ended up burying herself in the jaws of the top side, and her illegal contact on the 8 gave Marsell ball-in-hand for the final shot, which he made for the win and a 2-1 series win. Marsell came from behind to take gold in the event.
Toyota Arena, Freedom: Jasmine v. Puff II. The silver cue's last series is in 15-ball, as the back-half of a venue doubleheader. Freedom's Jasmine had all of the possession early on, burying Boston's Puff II in a hole most of the time. Later in the game, Jasmine's cagey style gave way to Puff II's more free-flowing offense, and after Jasmine scratched on a long start, Puff II buried the 15 to win the game and take a 1-0 series lead. The Swifts' Puff II had two balls on the break, and made a crazy double-pot that included a four-ball chain reaction early in game 2, but it was the 14-15 combination the Cascades' Jasmine unleashed at the end to the top side that provided the equalizing win and brought the silver cue back to the table after a one-game reign for the red cue. In game 3, Jasmine had a lot of the early possession, and things leveled out closer to the end. Puff II couldn't make the 15 on her shot, leaving Jasmine to pull off a lucky three-rail bank to make it in the top side, a token point for her familiarity with the cue. Jasmine won the series 2-1, earning gold in the event.
GE Stadium Events Center, Southridge: Stephanie Livilotti v. Smudge. The red cue will lead off the final series of the B-level, in 12-ball. Infinity's Smudge threw everything she had defensively against Southridge's Stephanie to block her from making her final shot. This led to a drawn-out game with not a lot of action late, and Stephanie ended up winning much later anyway to take the 1-0 series lead. The Torpedoes' Smudge burst out with a three-ball run at the start of game 2, putting the Defenders' Stephanie on the attack immediately. Stephanie managed to make it close, but couldn't line up her final shot, while Smudge did so very well after Stephanie missed contact twice. Smudge buried the final shot, winning to tie the series at 1 and bring the blue cue on for the decisive game. Game 3 saw Smudge establish herself early, but she was unable to get much going with her positioning. Stephanie took a little longer to make some shots, but when she did, she was on-target, rallying to get the win with a three-ball run-out after spinning Smudge around. Stephanie took the gold with a 2-1 series win.
That's all for the B-level. I plan on doing maintenance and a standings update this week, and there won't be a new schedule for the first round of the A-level. The next schedule and standings update should be in May.
No comments:
Post a Comment