This is the final day of the regular Tournament. At the end of the next 72 games, we will know which eight bids advance to the Tournament of Champions, tentatively scheduled for Monday, August 21 at Verizon Field Events Center in Pacific. Tuesday should hold the Clan Cup Playoffs at McDonald's Hall in Atlantic, and the two-day City Cup is at Intel Center in Diamond on Wednesday and Thursday most likely. Over the weekend, I will be working on administrative tasks such as the Protected Players list and Postseason rosters, as well as the final standings update. Regular season award winners will be selected during this time, but will not be announced until later. After the playoffs, there will be a break from pool to work on the Guidebook document and move closer to finishing the cricket season, which comes with its own administrative tasks. I will get everything done for pool before the end of the cricket season. Without any further delay, we begin Finals Day with...
Nissan Hall, Infinity: Solaris v. Dewey. The silver cue hosts the blue cue's representative in the 10-ball Championship. Game 1 went terribly slowly on both sides. Infinity's Solaris had nothing for his shot until a late three-ball run, but that ended in a scratch, and Oceanside's Dewey made the last two balls to get an ugly win for a 1-0 series lead. Things got better in game 2, with both players making three-ball runs after a slow start. Dewey went first, and Solaris answered, just missing short on the 10 at the top right, allowing Dewey to pick up the win on a tap-in on his next shot for the 2-0 lead in the series. The Waves' Dewey had a disappointing break in game 3, unable to make anything, which opened the door for the Torpedoes' Solaris to have some success. Solaris found more success after Dewey scratched while illegally potting the 10, leading Solaris to a three-ball run and then the last two shots as Dewey couldn't control the game anymore. Solaris' win cut the series to 2-1. Solaris had a decent performance in game 4, getting his share of the offense, but when he tried to make the 10 at the bottom right, he came up short, and Dewey took it on his second try with a kick to the same pocket for the win and the 3-1 advantage. Dewey had a strong break in game 5 as well, but he potted the 10 early. Solaris had control at the start of the game, and the players went back and forth as offense proved hard to come by. In the end, Dewey made a late pair, but Solaris made the last pair after Dewey missed on the 9. Solaris pulled the series back to 3-2 in a tight battle so far. Solaris again turned in a terrible break in game 6, unable to set the tone positively for himself. Dewey pressured him right from the start, but it was the end that set Dewey apart, as he followed up a three-ball run with a three-ball run-out after Solaris couldn't corral the 8. Dewey's hot finish put him ahead 4-2 in the series. Dewey had a decent start in game 7, but he couldn't gain a controlling share of the possession in this appearance. Solaris challenged where he could, and even took possession despite not having a run mapped out. This didn't hurt, as Dewey missed the 10 at the bottom right on a tough cut, and Solaris tapped it in, staying alive in the 4-3 series. Solaris finally had an outright dominant game, starting with a pair from the break in game 8, adding a four-ball run on his next turn, and then holding off Dewey enough at the end to pick up the win with the last two shots, tying the intense series at 4. Solaris again had a bad break in game 9, and this time, he couldn't cover it with amazing shooting. Dewey stalled him, then charged with a five-ball run before making the 10 on his second try to take the series 5-4, punching his ticket to Pacific for the Tournament of Champions as 10-ball's finest. Solaris is the 130th player eliminated, and Dewey earned his fourth kill of the year.
Chevrolet Center, Everton: Blizzard v. Valencia. An aunt hosts a niece in 9-ball, as the red cue will preside over this series also featuring the silver cue representative. Golden's Valencia made a good impression early in game 1, making a large share of the early shots. Everton's Blizzard pulled back at bit late, but Valencia closed things down with the last two balls to get the win for a 1-0 lead in the series. The Pilots' Valencia started game 2 with a four-ball run from the break, a great effort that ultimately didn't last. She ran cold later in the game, and the Eagles' Blizzard got in position to take a three-ball run-out for a win, tying the series at 1 with her patient and smart play. Blizzard had the hot start in game 3, making a three-ball run from the break. Valencia gathered herself well from that point, keeping things even between the players until she broke free at the end to make the last two shots, taking the win for a 2-1 series lead. Valencia had a strong break in game 4, but Blizzard got a huge burst with a four-ball run to establish herself with a spurt of offense. Valencia had a late chance at the win when Blizzard missed on the 8, but Valencia couldn't kick the 9 into the top left, and Blizzard tapped it in, retying the close series at 2. Game 5 may very well end up being a huge turning point in the series, as Blizzard had nothing on her break, and Valencia responded with a seven-ball run on her first turn that ended in a scratch. Blizzard made the last two balls from ball-in-hand, giving her the win and her first series lead at 3-2 as Valencia suffers the heartbreaking loss. Valencia didn't stay down long, making a double-pot of the 1 and the 7 to the top side and top right after Blizzard's awful game 6 break. Blizzard replied with a four-ball run in the middle of the game, but Valencia made the 6 and the 9 at the end from ball-in-hand after Blizzard's foul. Valencia picked up a solid win, tying the series at 3. Valencia put in an interesting break in game 7, which proved to have a negative impact on offense as the game progressed. Both players had their struggles, but Blizzard was the first to break free, making a four-ball run-out in the end to pick up the win and regain the series lead at 4-3. Valencia struggled again in game 8, trying to find her offense but ultimately unable to get anything going against Blizzard, who stormed forward after a rough start with a four-ball run-out at the end to take the win and the series at 5-3. Game 9 hardly took any time at all, with Blizzard getting good offense throughout the appearance. Valencia tried to keep up, but fell short as Blizzard made the final two balls for the win and a 6-3 series win that sends the host to the Tournament of Champions as the 9-ball representative. Valencia is the 131st player eliminated this year, and Blizzard took her league-leading sixth kill of the year.
Chevrolet Center, Everton: Puff III v. Dusky. The red cue stays in attendance in Everton for the Accuracy Championship, opposing the silver cue champion. Archtown's Dusky got off to a tough start in game 1, but she recovered pretty well as Everton's Puff III began to slip late in the game. Dusky managed to get Puff III to miss two shots late, allowing Dusky to take the 3-4 win for a 1-0 series lead. The Arrows' Dusky continued to play well in game 2, keeping her momentum going. She only missed once in the middle of this appearance, while the Eagles' Puff III scratched on her first shot and spiraled down at the end when the game got out of reach. Dusky took the win 1-4 and moved to a 2-0 series lead. Game 3 saw an improvement for Puff III, as she took the early lead against Dusky. She did fall back into a tie at one point, but Dusky missed again, and Puff III held the 1-2 lead to the end to get the win, cutting the series to 2-1. Puff III didn't have a great break in game 4, and it plagued her later in the game, as she had the lead but fell into a tie with Dusky after a failed cluster-buster. The two players held to a tie until overtime, where Puff III got nothing on the break and Dusky tapped in the 11 to win 2-3 to pull ahead to a 3-1 series lead. Dusky had a solid break in game 5, leading to a tight battle throughout, which saw the players again head to overtime when Dusky missed late. Dusky made a ball on the overtime break, and held the upper hand until Puff III missed a cut on the 9 to the bottom side, giving Dusky the 2-3 win again as she takes the series lead to 4-1. Dusky had a slower start to game 6 than usual, unable to stay on target and allowing Puff III to gain the early lead. Puff III couldn't hold it in the end, missing a couple of shots late, with a scratch included, and Dusky took the 4-5 result to clinch the series at 5-1 after a fortunate turn of events. Dusky let herself go after the clinching win, allowing game 7 to get highly out of hand. Puff III had one of her best games in the series to go along with Dusky's slide, resulting in a 1-6 win for Puff III to trim the series to 5-2. Dusky recovered from her lapse in play, dominating in a very close game 8 effort. Puff III held even with her for awhile, but couldn't make it last, as Dusky emerged with the 1-2 win and 6-2 series lead at the end after a great performance. Dusky easily took game 9, as Puff III offered little resistance once it was clear the game was out of her hands. Dusky would win 1-6 to seal up a 7-2 series win in a thorough pounding of a likely fallen MVP candidate. Puff III is the 132nd played knocked out, and Dusky recorded her third kill of the season as goes to the Tournament of Champions.
Ebay Center, Queens: Violetta v. Blizzard. The blue cue is up now for the 8-ball championship, meeting the silver cue's representative this time. Everton's Blizzard showed her experience in game 1, quickly gaining solids and knocking in most of them before Queens' Violetta could react. Blizzard had some struggles as Violetta went defensive, but Blizzard made her last few shots eventually without trouble, taking the win for a 1-0 series lead. The Flames' Violetta pulled back in game 2 with a five-ball run, but a later scratch nearly stalled out her offense. The Eagles' Blizzard made a hard charge to catch up, but Violetta won on a four-ball run-out to tie the series at 1 with her strong start and finish. Violetta made another good impression in game 3, getting a ball on the break to establish herself. Blizzard didn't have the easiest time during her turns, but she got onto the 8, only to miss it at the bottom left. Violetta pulled back with a simple five-ball run-out to grab the win and a 2-1 series lead. Blizzard made the first ball in game 4 after a lackluster break from Violetta, which would come back to haunt her. With no clear shot after Blizzard's miss, Violetta fired into a cluster and ended up illegally potting the 8 to gift a win to Blizzard, which retied the series at 2. Violetta kept game 5 quick as well, but in a more positive way with a four-ball run on her first turn consisting of two double-pots. Blizzard scuffled, surprised at the surge of offense, and Violetta made pairs of shots on her next two turns to grab the win to regain the series lead at 3-2. Violetta had quite the run in game 6, making a six-ball run to get onto the 8, even with a bit of collateral damage. Blizzard held her ground, giving Violetta nothing before taking the last two shots herself for the win to retie the close series at 3. Violetta had a good start with a four-ball run in game 7, and while Blizzard shot back with a three-ball run, Violetta soon erupted on a four-ball run-out, including a spinning bank on the 7 to the top left, to get the win and pull ahead in the series once more at 4-3. Blizzard tried to get her offense going in game 8, and she thought her defense could hold on when her offense failed her, but it didn't work out. Violetta rallied on a five-ball run, then took the 8 on her next turn to get the win and clinch the series at 5-3. Game 9 was much closer, as both players had chances at the 8 in the end after runs to get themselves there. Blizzard had a heartbreaking miss in the end, leaving it short at the top left for Violetta to tap in for the win and a 6-3 series win. Violetta advances to the Tournament of Champions with her series win.
Starbucks Arena, Archtown: Ruby v. Ms. Kitty. Club-mates clash in 7-ball with the silver cue, as it hosts the red cue representative in this final series. Pacific's Ms. Kitty made a strong case early in the game, but she left a run on the table. Archtown's Ruby couldn't do anything about it, and the players exchanged shots until Ms. Kitty made the last two balls for the win and a 1-0 series lead. The Volcanoes' Ms. Kitty struggled a bit early in game 2, and the Arrows' Ruby wasn't strong enough to fight her off the ball, leading to a slow start. Ms. Kitty then made a miraculous double-pot of the 5 on a tough cut to the top right, with the carom leading to the 7 falling in the top side for the win and a 2-0 advantage. Ms. Kitty had trouble stringing any shots together in game 3, a common theme in this game so far, and it proved critical at the end. Ms. Kitty missed the 7 short, ending her run, and Ruby stepped up for a tap-in, converting to get a win and cut the series to 2-1. Ruby popped up big on the break in game 4, double-potting the 4 to the top right and the 7 to the top side for a quick win to stun Ms. Kitty and tie the close series at 2. Ruby had another great performance in game 5, although it took the whole rack this time. Ruby double-potted the 1 and 2 on the break to the bottom right and bottom side, and then after Ms. Kitty could only take one ball, Ruby had a four-ball run-out with great positioning for the win. Ruby now has a series lead at 3-2. Ms. Kitty continued her downward spiral with a miss on the 2 from close range toward the bottom right. Ruby jumped on that chance quickly, working a five-ball run-out to keep her surge going as she moves ahead 4-2 in the series after game 6. Ms. Kitty didn't deserve to take the loss in game 7, but her six-ball run left her with poor position on the 7, and she missed it short. Ruby tapped it in, the cheap win sufficing to give her the series at 5-2. Ruby had a decent start in game 8 as well, working with a three-ball run and just narrowly missing on the 4. Ms. Kitty picked up the offense from here, pulling herself to a win with a four-ball run-out to cut the series down to 5-3. Ruby didn't press much in game 9 either, and Ms. Kitty gladly accepted ball-in-hand for the last two balls after Ruby scratched. Ms. Kitty converted those shots for the win, making it a 5-4 series. Ruby advances to the Tournament of Champions with her win. Ms. Kitty is the 133rd eliminated player, and Ruby earned her fourth kill of the year.
Kraft Forum, Royal: Nightfur v. Rosalina. A veteran and the silver cue host the blue cue's 15-ball champion in this series. Royal's Nightfur started out alright in game 1, but the offense was slow to develop for both her and Diamond's Rosalina. After short exchanges throughout the game, Nightfur came up with the shot on the 15 to take the win for a 1-0 series lead. Game 2 saw a bit more strength in each player's turns, with the Crowns' Nightfur look particularly comfortable while shooting. The Gems' Rosalina had a couple nice shots, but luck smiled upon Nightfur when she made the 12-15 combination to the top left to take the win for a 2-0 lead in the series. Rosalina came very close to a win in game 3, after a battle with Nightfur through the early part of the game. Rosalina tried to convert an 11-15 combination to the bottom right, and just rattled it out. A few turns later, Nightfur deposited the 15 to the top right on a bank shot to cap a three-ball run-out that put her ahead 3-0 in the series. Rosalina didn't have as great a turn in a difficult game 4 situation. Nightfur primarily had control of the offense in this battle, and she flashed her power with short runs. In the end, it was all Nightfur, as she capitalized on Rosalina's miss on the 13 to make the last two balls for the win, pushing the series lead to 4-0. Rosalina barely kept the bid alive under immense pressure to get anything going. She had a great performance, coupled with a big downturn by Nightfur, and Rosalina picked up the win with the 9-15 combination to the bottom right to make it a 4-1 series, but she faces a massive uphill climb. Rosalina took a cheap victory in game 6, capitalizing on a missed contact by Nightfur. She clipped the 7 while trying to hit the 4, and Rosalina used the ball-in-hand to make the 4-15 combination to the bottom right to cut the series to 4-2, drawing the ire of the Crowns' faithful fans. Rosalina had a far more legitimate win in game 7, despite an awful break that saw hardly any shatter on the rack. Nightfur couldn't touch the 1 on her only shot of the game, and Rosalina made the 1-9-2 and 1-9 combinations to the bottom right before using the 1 to get position on the 3-15 combination at the top right for the win to make it a 4-3 series. Rosalina's miracle comeback came to an end in a rough game 8 that saw her sputter near the end, unable to create a combination shot. Nightfur controlled the late possession, working a three-ball run-out to secure the game and take the series by a 5-3 score. Nightfur continued to play well in game 9, although neither player looked all that confident by the end of the game. Rosalina's offense was non-existent by the time Nightfur wrapped up the win for a 6-3 series win. Rosalina's long rookie campaign ends as the 134th eliminated player, and Nightfur earned her fourth kill of the year.
Ford Forum, Pronger: Zach v. Goatee. The blue cue will lead us out of the Tournament, hosting the red cue champion in 12-ball. Westside's Goatee was the first to score a ball in game 1, and while she didn't have the best of precision on her shots, she did enough to frustrate Pronger's Zach. He gave up a wild-card ball, making it easier for Goatee to win later on, as Zach's defense didn't cover everything. Goatee leads the series 1-0. The Rockers' Goatee didn't get start as well in game 2, allowing the Tridents' Zach some early possession, but Zach couldn't get his final two balls to stay in position, and Goatee slowly marched back into the game. Eventually, after an error by Zach, Goatee wrapped up the game in a win, putting her ahead 2-0 in the series. Goatee had a good start in game 3, striking the ball well, but Zach would not give in this time. He answered with a couple of nice shots, and followed that up later with a pair of balls on each of his last two shots, out-maneuvering Goatee with the late-game play to get the win to cut the series to 2-1. Zach had the better offense again in game 4, getting himself into position with an early run and smart shooting later in the game. Goatee couldn't catch up, even as Zach surrendered a wild-card ball that Goatee had used for defense, and Zach's final tap-in tied the series at 2 with his win. Zach burst into game 5 with force, making two balls on the break and adding three more for a five-ball run on the initial turn. Goatee had a much slower start to her offense, but she got all the time she needed, as Zach couldn't get position on his last shot, and Goatee did enough to prevent him from making it. Goatee made three balls on her last two turns to pick up the win, retaking the series lead at 3-2 in the thrilling series. Zach just about had the game 6 win in the bag, but he gave away a wild-card ball in his finishing run, and the rules allowed Goatee a chance to tie, which she did. The result was tossed, and the replay saw the game take the form of a race. Zach finished first, with a strong three-ball run to establish himself before his final shot a turn later earned him the win for real to tie the series at 3. Goatee had the early advantage in game 7, pulling herself ahead with some nice shots, but a scratch in the middle of the game doomed her. She couldn't get in position after this, and Zach's patient playing style suited him well as he charged to the win to pull ahead for the first time in this series at 4-3. Zach struck first in game 8 as well, getting off to a decent start, but Goatee hung with him for most of the game, and they were even going into the final turns. Here, Zach benefited from having his ball in position, and it doubled as defense when Goatee mishit her ball, allowing Zach to tap-in his final shot for the win, clinching the series at 5-3. Game 9 saw Zach give away a wild-card ball on the break with a wild shot, and Goatee used this to her advantage quite easily. Goatee went on a three-ball run, and then used defense to stall Zach so she could make her last two shots for the win. Zach still won the series 5-4, and he advances to the Tournament of Champions for his effort. Goatee is the 135th player eliminated this year, and Zach picked up his second kill of the year.
House of 10 Windows, Del Sur: Panda v. Rainmane. The final series of the Finals is in Rotation, with the blue cue hosting the silver cue's representative for the Finals title between the two cues. Midland's Rainmane thought things took a turn for the worst when Southern's Panda made a pair of balls on a cluster-buster shot, but Rainmane battled back with a pair of three-ball runs to take the 8-4 win and earn a 1-0 series lead for herself. The Predators' Rainmane started out alright in game 2, but she didn't have the same attacking urgency as before, allowing the Monarchs' Panda to storm right by her for the 8-3 win, tying the series at 1 with his fierce performance. Panda made a three-ball run early in game 3, but Rainmane tied it on a three-ball run of her own, setting the stage for an electric finish. Panda pulled ahead again, with Rainmane calmly hanging behind until she worked a four-ball run-out, including her double-pot of the 9 to the bottom right and a carom to take the 15 at the top right. This set her up on the winning shot on the 11, which was good for an 8-6 win to regain the series lead at 2-1. Panda had a horrendous game 4 effort, frequently getting stuck in no-win shots with no position and illegal contact plays. Rainmane very casually worked through the rack on her way to an 8-4 win to extend her series lead to 3-1 before a short break. Rainmane kept her offense going after the interruption in play, rallying after a slow start in game 5 with a nice five-ball run. Panda tried to reply, but he couldn't sink anything, and Rainmane ended with a double-pot of the 8 to the bottom left and the 13 to the top side for the 9-2 win to move her lead to a stranglehold grip at 4-1. Panda shell-shocked Rainmane with a three-ball run at the start of game 6, and while she recovered to grab the lead in the middle of the game, Panda went on a run to tie it up again, and then made the last two shots to win 8-6, bringing the series back to 4-2 with his strong performance. Rainmane had to make a play in game 7 to head off Panda's hopeful comeback. Rainmane had led for most of the game, but Panda was pulling close before she made a three-ball run-out for the 8-4 win, clinching the series and the last advancement at 5-2. Panda tried to spark his offense at the start of game 8, but making balls came in spurts in this game. Rainmane had the better of these, with an early run and some smaller late runs helping her pick up the win at an 8-5 score, putting her up 6-2 in the series. Rainmane put an appropriate cap on the series, pulling ahead of the quick-starting Panda in the middle of the game and then charging to the win to take it 8-4 and make it a 7-2 series win for herself. Rainmane has the last trip to the Tournament of Champions booked. Panda is the 136th and final player to be eliminated, and Rainmane took her fifth kill of the year in the process.
That's all for the Tournament. We've got administrative duties this weekend, along with some cricket, and we'll be back with the Tournament of Champions on Monday.
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