We're set to wrap up the week of pool activities with a standard day of games. We begin with...
IBM Cathedral, North Modernistic: Peach v. Summer. The silver cue takes the first series today, playing 10-ball. Maplewood's Summer made a three-ball run on her first turn, then watched North Modernistic's Peach crank a five-ball run before Summer fought back with the last pair of shots for the win. Summer has a 1-0 series lead after game 1. The Lumberjacks' Summer started a bit slow in game 2, but the Nighthawks' Peach picked up the pace with a four-ball run that ended in an illegally potted ball. Summer elected to keep possession, creating a brilliant five-ball run-out filled with excellent positioning to clinch the series at 2-0. Summer had a couple pairs of shots in game 3, but this paled in comparison to a four-ball run from Peach and then the last pair at the end for the win. Summer settled for a 2-1 series win to advance to a visitor position in the third round.
UPS Hall, Maplewood: Whiskers v. Wario. The silver cue stays up for a series of 15-ball. Victoria's Wario looked strong early in game 1, although he had a bit too much luck to sustain his offense. Maplewood's Whiskers later attacked on a five-ball run before the game slowed down. Whiskers would win when Wario missed on his second try at the 15, and Whiskers sent it to the top left for the 1-0 series lead. Neither played could manage a breakout run in game 2, keeping things going at a steady back-and-forth pace throughout. The Lumberjacks' Whiskers whiffed on the 13 late in the game, only to see the Spurs' Wario leave the 15 standing three shots later. Whiskers made it, sealing the series at 2-0. Wario looked defeated by the end of game 3, lazily shooting around the table while Whiskers paced the offense on her own, ending with a three-ball run-out to secure the 3-0 series sweep. Whiskers will visit North Modernistic Nighthawks captain Peach in the third round.
Sprint Hall, Victoria: Spice v. Midnight. Back in 10-ball, the red cue makes its first appearance of the day between veterans. Victoria's Spice had a slight edge in offense in game 1, most notably at the end when she conjured a three-ball run-out to top Westside's Midnight. Spice's win gives her a 1-0 series lead to start the series. The Spurs' Spice kept her offense strong early in game 2, but she faltered toward the end of the game after a bad miss. The Rockers' Midnight took up the pace on a four-ball run-out, earning this win to tie the series at 1 game apiece. Spice had a good start in game 3 again, but Midnight made the 8 and 9, the latter illegally. Spice followed up a previous three-ball run by taking possession from Midnight's error and potting the 10 to the top left for the win. Spice won the series 2-1, and will play in the third round.
Home Depot Forum, Web City: Shadow v. Dreamy. Close siblings clash in a marquee 15-ball series with the silver cue. Both players had nice amounts of offense in game 1, with Web City's Shadow doing a late three-ball run and then winning on the next turn when Swordpoint's Dreamy left the 15 short on a cut in humid conditions. Shadow leads the series 1-0 with the fortunate ending. Game 2 saw a bit more frustration boil over for the players, none more evident than when the Blades' Dreamy left the 15 short to end her three-ball run. The Spiders' Shadow made the tap-in to get the win, clinching the series at 2-0. Shadow lost his cool in game 3, unable to get clear shots whenever he wanted. Dreamy stepped up with a tricky winning shot, glancing the cue off the 6 to take the 14 at the top left and then double-potting the 15 to the bottom side. Shadow won the series 2-1, and will be the visitor in his third round series.
Kraft Forum, Royal: Kayla v. Nibbles. The red cue is back in this series, playing 12-ball between a veteran and a sophomore. Viewpoint Sound's Nibbles had productive turns early on, and he shot well enough on his last turn to overcome a scratch. Royal's Kayla was close to connecting on a game-ending run, but Nibbles beat her to the punch for a 1-0 series lead with his win. The Meteors' Nibbles made everything look easy in game 2, making a four-ball run from the break. The Crowns' Kayla pulled back with a couple of positive turns, but she helped Nibbles pot one of his last two balls, and lined him up on the other one as he clinched the series at 2-0 rather decisively. Nibbles had a five-ball run from the break in game 3, while also giving Kayla two wild-card balls on his opening turn. Kayla gave one back and came within inches of snagging a win, but her last ball would not go down, and Nibbles potted the 3 to the top right for the 3-0 sweep. Nibbles is set to be a visitor again in the third round.
Capital City SuperCenter, Capital City: Missy v. Celestia. The blue cue plays 10-ball in this series, which features Celestia and not her mother Valencia, which is what's listed on the schedule. Oceanside's Celestia made sure her impact in game 1 was known, as she had two different three-ball runs, the latter giving her the win over a hapless Missy of Capital City. Celestia leads the series 1-0. The Sharpshooters' Missy took her attack to a new level with a six-ball run in game 2, but illegal contact on the 9 allowed the Waves' Celestia to make a three-ball run-out from ball-in-hand for the win, clinching the series at 2-0 for the visitor. Celestia tried to keep her offense strong in game 3, but Missy proved too determined to be beat again. Missy unleashed a four-ball run-out at the end to supplement an earlier run for the win. Celestia still won the series 2-1, and will play on into the third round.
IBM Cathedral, North Modernistic: Gal Gadot v. Sweetheart. A bit of star-power graces the beginning of today's second half, with the silver cue in hand for Rotation. North Modernistic's Gal established herself with a four-ball run off the game 1 break. Boston's Sweetheart fired back on her second turn, tying the game briefly, but Gal shot back on a three-ball run-out for the 8-5 win and 1-0 series lead. The Nighthawks' Gal had a much poorer break to start game 2, leading to choppy play in the early turns. The Swifts' Sweetheart made this a distant memory when she rallied ahead on a five-ball run-out, the surge giving her an 8-4 win to tie the series at 1 game apiece. Sweetheart took the early lead after another rough break in game 3, but Gal did not stay down for long. Gal rallied to tie the game at midway, but Sweetheart parried this attack away. Gal charged back on a four-ball run-out at the end, claiming an 8-6 win and a 2-1 series win. Gal goes on to the third round.
UPS Hall, Maplewood: Whiskers v. Noelle. A Northeastern derby in 9-ball with the silver cue takes center stage to open a venue doubleheader. Maplewood's Whiskers had a ball on the break in game 1 and steady offense, but also three scratches in game 1. Central's Noelle had the game on her stick, and scratched as she potted the 9, letting Whiskers off the hook as the host is given a 1-0 series lead. The Lumberjacks' Whiskers took a more dominant path to victory in game 2, capping a five-ball run-out with a 5-7-9 combination to the bottom right to stun the Warriors' Noelle. Whiskers clinched the series at 2-0 on the impressive winning shot. Noelle had a large share of possession in game 3 as well, but she couldn't close the game out as the 9 gave her trouble. Whiskers eventually potted it in the end, getting a bit lucky to earn the 3-0 series sweep. Whiskers is set to play in the third round.
UPS Hall, Maplewood: Summer v. Shelley. The venue doubleheader ends in 7-ball with the red cue. Maplewood's Summer couldn't get anything on the break in game 1, but Infinity's Shelley went empty on her first turn as well. Summer then made the 1 and potted the 7 on a deflection off the 2 to the top left for a 1-0 series lead. The Torpedoes' Shelley had an awful game 2, but the Lumberjacks' Summer couldn't keep her shooting clean late in the game either. Summer scratched while potting the 5, and Shelley finally cleanly potted the 7 to the top right to tie the series at 1. Summer left too much on the table with her poor shooting in game 3, allowing Shelley to complete the comeback with a three-ball run-out. Shelley took the series 2-1, and will be the visitor in a third round series.
Nestle's Warriors Hall, Central: Wings v. Ice Cream. Familiar faces in new places play Accuracy with the blue cue. Game 1 went well in regulation until the end, where Boston's Ice Cream scratched and Central's Wings missed from ball-in-hand to force overtime. Wings and Ice Cream exchanged two misses in overtime before Ice Cream faltered mid-rack to give Wings the 5-6 win and 1-0 series lead. The Swifts' Ice Cream made a massive improvement in game 2, while the Warriors' Wings somehow found a way to be worse. Ice Cream stayed perfect with luck on her side, winning 0-9 as Wings gave up before the game was even half done. The series is tied at 1. Wings was no better to start game 3, missing four straight shots before leveling off his bad stretch. Ice Cream slipped a bit, but Wings played on thin margins and lost with a scratch. Ice Cream took the 2-5 win for a 2-1 series win that will see her visit the Viewpoint Sound Meteors' Nibbles in the third round.
Intel Center, Diamond: Citrus v. Marsell. The red cue takes its turn in Accuracy between inconsistent players. Whitewater's Marsell had a lead for most of game 1, as Diamond's Citrus started slowly. Marsell eventually lost control of his shot, slipping behind, and Citrus would not budge, taking a 3-4 win and a 1-0 series lead. The Gems' Citrus had no problems with continuing her strong play into game 2, holding a lead over the Shores' Marsell from the second turn on. Marsell tried to catch up but fell further behind instead, as Citrus stayed perfect in a 0-4 win. Citrus secured the series for herself at 2-0. Citrus couldn't hold in game 3, falling apart with a couple of early misses. Marsell faded hard toward the end of the game, but managed to grab the win at 3-4 to avoid the sweep. Citrus will play as a visitor in the third round after this 2-1 series win.
IBM Cathedral, North Modernistic: Gal Gadot v. Mams. Today's final series is in 15-ball with the red cue after a break. North Modernistic's Gal had the better of play in game 1, shooting a loose style. Viewpoint Sound's Mams had fewer errors than Gal, but Gal made the 4-15 combination to the top right through traffic to get the win and a 1-0 series lead. The Nighthawks' Gal continued with strong play in game 2, making a five-ball run that saw her double-pot the 7 and 9 to the left corners. Gal scratched soon after, and had trouble in the back half of the game, while the Meteors' Mams picked up her pace and got the win to tie the series at 1 after some choppy play. Game 3 started very slowly on both sides, leading to minor bursts of frustration. The pace picked up later, and the ending saw Gal making a pair of shots to counter a short run from Mams. Gal took the win and the 2-1 series win, earning a spot in the third round. Mams is the second player eliminated this season, her Meteors career in doubt. Gal picked up her first kill of the year.
That's all for the action this week. As I see it, the earliest return of league activities may be Sunday for Hutton Cup games.
No comments:
Post a Comment