We're back with a mini-Tournament beginning today, as UPCL players participate in the three-person brand of pool known as Cutthroat. In the first round, 60 series will be played, with the winners and an additional 21 runners-up earning passage to the second round. We begin with...
Starlight v. Roxy v. Juno at Verizon Field Events Center, Pacific. Roxy and Juno combined for a good start, getting Starlight down to her final ball on the table, but Starlight struck back with a five-ball run to take Juno out of the game. Roxy would reply in kind, ending Starlight's bid, as Roxy takes the first win of the series. Game 2 saw a bit of a reversal of fortunes for Starlight and Roxy, as the two combined to take out Juno rather quickly. Roxy dealt the final blow to Juno, but Starlight returned fire by making the 1 to the bottom left to grab the win, her first. Juno joined the party with a dominant effort in game 3, which saw her engage a five-ball run after questionably choosing the high set of balls. The strategy paid off when she took out Roxy on the second turn, and then battled efficiently to beat Starlight head-to-head. The win brought Juno level with 1 win in an even series so far. Juno kept the momentum going in game 4, as she and Starlight worked quickly to get Roxy out of the game. However, scratches by both players revived Roxy in the game, and she tipped the scales in favor of Juno. Starlight picked off Roxy on her turn, but missed on Juno's ball, and Juno knocked Starlight out for her second win. Juno overcame a troubled start in game 5, as Starlight and Roxy combined against her at first. Starlight was first to fall as Juno struck back with a five-ball run, and while Roxy held on for awhile, Juno claimed the win with a clean finishing shot to the bottom left for her third win. Roxy took a more aggressive approach in game 6, claiming the lows and allowing Starlight to protect the highs with an early surge. Juno was quickly buried, but held on until Roxy took her out first in a three-ball run-out that also knocked out Starlight. Roxy now has two wins in the series. Starlight did more of the tone-setting in game 7, selecting lows as her suit. Juno had to take out of her own highs to officially claim the set, and it turned out to be no benefit to her in the long run, as Roxy knocked Juno out before Starlight took her second win. Roxy elected to protect the highs in game 8, and she did so efficiently, quickly combining with Juno to take out Starlight. Going into the latter stages of the game even, Roxy would pot Juno's last two balls faster for her third win. Things changed very quickly for Juno in game 9, as she had a chance to go on a deep run to damage both of her opponents. A scratch allowed Starlight enough leverage to build a three-ball run-out, offing Juno and then Roxy to complete her third win. Starlight got onto the verge of the series win with her fourth win in game 10. Juno did a lot of the work, with a five-ball run that eliminated the medium set. Starlight stepped up and made one of Juno's high balls to confirm Roxy's third-place finish, and then Starlight held on to beat Juno head to head. Starlight tried to play strong at the start of the game, but Juno successfully pressured both her and Roxy in game 11. Neither Starlight nor Roxy had a commanding effort, and Juno was able to keep all of her balls on the table before her three-ball run-out ended Roxy and then Starlight for her fourth win. Starlight and Juno decided to end the series in game 12, combining to take out Roxy. Juno had a scratch that briefly revived Roxy, but Juno took her out again. Starlight then kicked Juno's 9 to the top right for her fifth win. Juno ended with 15 points to Roxy's 13 for the purposes of secondary second-round qualification.
Beth v. Leonette v. Ice Cream at Honda Driftwood Coliseum, Pearl. Backstabbing ran amok in game 1, as Beth started with a three-ball run and claimed the medium set. Leonette rallied with a seven-ball run in response, claiming highs and eliminating Beth, only to see Ice Cream win with a four-ball run-out as she kept her last ball, the 2, standing for her first win. Leonette built up a bit of a lead in game 2 early on, but Beth and Ice Cream quickly brought her back to earth. Ice Cream then betrayed Beth by taking out her last high ball, before battling and winning over Leonette at the end. Ice Cream has been sneaky in winning both games so far. It was more of the same in game 3, although Leonette needed a scratch to be revived. Ice Cream obliged with that, and Beth also scratched to keep Leonette in the game. Leonette repaid Beth by knocking her out, only to crumble as she was outmatched by Ice Cream, who took her third win in commanding form. Leonette finally cracked the code on Ice Cream in game 4, as the two players combined again to knock out Beth early. Ice Cream though she had the advantage again, but Leonette put up a three-ball run-out in the end to snag her first win of the series. Leonette retained her possession well in game 5, but it was Ice Cream with a big run in the early part of the game to set the tone. Ice Cream's run put Beth in trouble, and on her next turn, Ice Cream knocked Beth out of the game early again. Leonette battled a bit with Ice Cream before getting the upper hand for her second win. Ice Cream regained control of the series in game 6, setting Leonette and Beth against each other early on. Beth had a bad miss that gave Leonette the edge in their battle, but Beth would be responsible for Leonette's exit from the game, only to fall to Ice Cream on her next turn. Ice Cream has four wins, one away from advancing. Ice Cream went all out at the start of game 7, making a seven-ball run that had Leonette out of the game before she took a shot. A scratch later in the game brought Leonette back, and she worked with Beth to force Ice Cream out, but Beth would get the win in the end, her first of the series. Beth continued her surge on offense in game 8, striking early and putting both opponents in trouble. Ice Cream got the better of this at the end, as she and Leonette stuck together to combat the effort. Beth took out Leonette first, and then Ice Cream with her last two shots for the win, her second. Beth kept things going with a win in game 9, again waiting until late to deny Ice Cream with her five-ball run-out. Beth took out Leonette first again, and then Ice Cream, ceding a point but keeping the series going with her third straight win. Leonette finally produced her third win in game 10, successfully working with a potent run by Ice Cream to take out Beth early on. Going head to head, Leonette had easier shots to shut down Ice Cream for the win. Beth and Leonette combined for the greater good, targeting Ice Cream early in game 11. The game still was close at the end, but Beth was able to take out Ice Cream, just in time for Leonette to snag the win, her fourth of the series. Leonette and Ice Cream decided to end the series in game 12, mostly with Leonette's effective offense. Ice Cream quickly betrayed Beth, taking her out of the game, and Leonette, with a huge advantage, sacrificed one of her balls before finishing off Ice Cream for her fifth win. Ice Cream did tally 18 points in the series, while Beth mid-series surge only got her up to 11 points.
That's it for today. We should have more of this over the weekend, and we'll get up to a more typical pace by the start of next week.
No comments:
Post a Comment