We're back on a Wednesday, keeping with the week full of standard days as promised. We begin with...
Samsung Arena, Whitewater: Twinkie III v. Diddley. A star and a captain collide in 7-ball with the silver cue to lead off the day. Game 1 had a slow start on both sides, with only a three-ball run later on by Whitewater's Twinkie III as a highlight. Maplewood's Diddley, however, took the win with a cut on the 7 to the top left for the 1-0 series lead. The Lumberjacks' Diddley made game 2 significantly faster, burying the 7 on the break at the top left to stun the Shores' Twinkie III. Diddley's fantastic shot secured the series in his favor at 2-0. Diddley seemed to lose his touch again in game 3, allowing Twinkie III to take a majority of the offense and also pick up the win when he missed on the 7. Diddley still took the series 2-1, and will visit Todavía Stills sophomore Prism in the second round.
Audi Hall, Terrace City: Melissa Benoist v. Jasmine. Two powerful players meet in Accuracy with the red cue. Terrace City's Melissa had an early scratch in game 1, and it took quite awhile before Freedom's Jasmine would miss. Jasmine had to step up once late, and she did, eventually winning 3-5 after a chase on the last ball, and she now leads the series 1-0. The Cascades' Jasmine didn't have as strong a grip on game 2, but she managed to keep it even at the end, and the Knights' Melissa pushed it to overtime. Jasmine made a ball on the break in overtime, leading to thirteen straight makes before Melissa missed the second-to-last ball to lose by a 3-4 score. Jasmine clinched the series at 2-0. Melissa played her best in game 3, battling with Jasmine quite well. A spell of misses in the middle saw Jasmine fall behind, and Melissa took the 2-3 win to cut Jasmine's series win to 2-1. Jasmine will visit the North Modernistic Nighthawks' B. Chapman for a second round series. Jasmine took six bids to the second round, while Melissa will play on with three bids.
Nestle's Warriors Hall, Central: Twilight v. Starlight. The marquee match of the round goes right now in 9-ball with the red cue. Central's Twilight didn't start off well, watching Pacific's Starlight make the first two balls in game 1, but Twilight shot back with a fiery seven-ball run-out. Twilight's win was highlighted by a spinning masse shot on the 6 to the bottom right to help earn the 1-0 series lead. The Volcanoes' Starlight showed a flair for the dramatic in game 2, getting lucky multiple times on her five-ball run. This tendency cost her when she missed contact on the 9 on a kick attempt, allowing the Warriors' Twilight to cap a counterattack with a tap-in after a three-ball run. Twilight secured the series at 2-0. Twilight kept it up with a large possession share in game 3, as Starlight's tricky attempts failed more often than not. Twilight had a three-ball run and a late pair of note to get the win, sweeping her sister out of this event 3-0. Twilight will host the Eastside Sharks' Cubby in the second round.
Coca-Cola Field Exhibition Center, Boston: Patches v. Sweetheart. Another massive 9-ball series features two Swifts teammates playing with the blue cue. Sweetheart struck first here, making the 7 on a deflected shot on her first turn, and then potting the 2 to the bottom right and the 9 to the top right to beat Patches in game 1 for a 1-0 series lead. Patches made it a bit too easy for Sweetheart in game 2, with Patches' kick attempt for contact bumping the 2 in line with the 9. Sweetheart didn't waste the opportunity, converting that combination to the bottom right to clinch the series at 2-0. Sweetheart still had a dominant game 3 effort, but her cut on the 9 led her to scratch, possibly with some intent, to give Patches a win in the series. Sweetheart still won the series itself 2-1, and will visit the Modernistic Union's Chimpy in the second round.
Starbucks Arena, Archtown: Sleepy B. v. Ted. The silver cue jumps back into action for a Northeastern Derby in 12-ball. Archtown's Sleepy B. had a good break and made a nice early attack in game 1, but a scratch derailed her efforts. Web City's Ted showed the right balance of patience and action, and he poked in two shots late to get the win for a 1-0 series lead. The Spiders' Ted didn't strike first in game 2, instead allowing the Arrows' Sleepy B. to build a lot of offense. Ted then used mob defense on one ball, which allowed him to construct a four-ball run before making his final pair of shots a turn later for the win. Ted clinched the series at 2-0 with the smart play. Ted went empty on the break in game 3, but rallied back with three-ball runs on his second and third turns, showing great poise to take the win so quickly. Ted swept Sleepy B. 3-0 to get to the second round.
HP Field Events Center, Midland: Shawn v. Easter. Captains meet in 15-ball, using the red cue. Todavía's Easter had a struggle with legal shots in game 1, and while Midland's Shawn was not the saint of clean play, he had a bit more success with a four-ball run. Shawn would clean up the pieces late to get the win, taking a 1-0 series lead. The Stills' Easter bounced back in a big way in game 2, with a three-ball run at both ends of the game and a five-ball run in the middle to dominate possession. The Predators' Shawn had a couple of good moments, but Easter's second three-ball run earned her the win and tied the series at 1. Game 3 saw a lot of early difficulty for both players to get clear shots, but when the game opened up, Easter had a five-ball run. Shawn fought back with a four-ball run, and got the better of Easter when she missed a kick on the 15. Shawn took the game and series from ball-in-hand, winning the latter 2-1 and advancing to host the North Modernistic Nighthawks' Luigi in the second round. Easter will have only two bids in the second round.
Kraft Forum, Royal: Jake v. Shadow. Two veterans meet as another 15-ball series is played, this time with the silver cue. Web City's Shadow seemed to have a bit more of the possession in game 1, but play was very choppy on both sides. Royal's Jake had a couple of chances for a late run that fell through, allowing Shadow to take the win for a 1-0 series lead. Game 2 also started slowly and better for the Spiders' Shadow. The Crowns' Jake shook things up late, making seven shots over two turns with a five-ball run to pressure Shadow. Jake's last pair of shots gave him the win, tying the series at 1. Game 3 moved along rather lazily, with one-and-two-shot sequences before possession switches. Shadow picked up the win late with a pair of nice shots after Jake couldn't hold up a run to make them. Shadow won the series 2-1, and will play on in the second round.
GE Stadium Events Center, Southridge: Caitlin Woode v. Ms. Kitty. The 15-ball binge continues with the blue cue getting in on the action. Southridge's Caitlin had a higher quality of play in game 1, as Pacific's Ms. Kitty had a lot of errors, but it was a four-ball run from Ms. Kitty that helped move the game along. Ms. Kitty missed the 15, and Caitlin converted it for the win and a 1-0 series lead. The Volcanoes' Ms. Kitty stood her ground a bit better in game 2, keeping the ball on the table and making more contact legally. The Defenders' Caitlin maintained her level of play, but she couldn't do anything when Ms. Kitty's shot on the 7 sent the cue ricocheting into the 15 at the bottom left, giving the visitor a win to tie the series at 1. Game 3 saw Caitlin push play a bit early on, only to get discouraged when Ms. Kitty pushed back. Ms. Kitty controlled the end of the game, making six balls on three turns, and taking the 15 when Caitlin's cut at the bottom side missed. Ms. Kitty won the series 2-1, and she'll visit the North Modernistic Nighthawks' Cheddar in round two.
Ford Forum, Pronger: Precious v. Zach. An all-Tridents series brings things back to the silver cue playing 12-ball. Zach had a quick four-ball run in game 1, putting pressure on his captain immediately, but Precious went unfazed. Precious made a three-ball run and a couple of defensive plays to buy herself the time to put the 2 in the top left for the win and 1-0 series lead. Game 2 saw a weaker break from Precious, but Zach failed to make an early attack this time, leaving things fairly even initially. Precious chipped away at the stripes a bit faster, and while Zach turned defensive late, Precious made an inch-perfect kick on the 15 at the bottom left to take the win for a 2-0 series lead. Precious took it easy in game 3 with a shattering break but a few questionable shot choices. This allowed Zach to easily surge forward for the win on a four-ball run-out, including a great cut on the 14 on that run's second shot. Precious will host the Web City Spiders' Ted for the second round. Precious advanced five bids to the next round, as did Zach.
AT&T Hall, Oceanside: Josie v. Klaus. Club-mates now take a turn at each other in 9-ball with the red cue. Oceanside's Josie had plenty of strength in game 1, but her precision was lacking. Atlantic's Klaus made her pay for it, using a four-ball run-out at the end for the win, which gives him a 1-0 series lead. The Waves' Josie pulled off a four-ball run fairly early in game 2, an aggressive move, but her failed kick attempt on the 8 led the Pirates' Klaus to another successful finish. Klaus made the last two shots to seal the series at 2-0 in his favor. Klaus didn't have as much possession in game 3, allowing Josie to play a bit more freely as she found her shot, but her three-ball run ended late with a miss on the 9, and Klaus mopped it up to take the series in a 3-0 sweep. Klaus will be on the road again in the second round, visiting the Stonebridge Wolves rookie Vladimir, one of his seven bids to move on.
Honda Driftwood Coliseum, Pearl: Neopolitan v. Whiskers. Two strong players meet in 15-ball as the silver cue comes back to the table. Pearl's Neopolitan had a clear edge in possession in game 1, but it didn't matter much late when her four-ball run came to an abrupt end. Maplewood's Whiskers overcame her earlier struggles to pot the last two shots for a win and a 1-0 series lead. The Lumberjacks' Whiskers had more possession in the formative parts of game 2, but the ending was a carbon copy of game 1. The Surfers' Neopolitan put up a four-ball run, only to see the 14 rattle out of the top left, and Whiskers tapped it and the 15 in on consecutive shots for the win, this time clinching the series at 2-0. Whiskers had a large possession chunk at the start of the game, aided by a four-ball run, but Neopolitan answered with a four-ball run of her own after Whiskers had a stick violation. Toward the end, Neopolitan pulled out a 12-15 combination to the bottom right for the win. Whiskers settled for a 2-1 series win to get her into the second round.
Gillette Center, Swordpoint: Dreamy v. Mams. The blue cue wraps up the day in 9-ball between a star and a captain. Swordpoint's Dreamy took a ball on the break, but had a rough game otherwise. Viewpoint Sound's Mams turned a slow start into a hot finish with a five-ball run-out for the win and the 1-0 series lead. The Meteors' Mams came out firing with a five-ball run from the break, keeping up her pace from the previous game. The Blades' Dreamy brought Mams to a screeching halt, turning in a four-ball run-out of her own to tie the series at 1 with a quick win. Dreamy made sure to prevent Mams from going on a big run in game 3, pulling off a nice spinning kick combination that went 2-9 to the bottom right for the win. Dreamy took the series 2-1, and will host Harrison Specters captain Twinkie II in the second round.
That's all for today's games. We'll have more of the same tomorrow, starting slightly earlier if Elite finishes Week 20 in time.
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