We're onto the final day of the preseason competition, beginning with the Quarterfinals. First up...
Dewey v. Precious. The red cue begins the day with a battle between young and old league players. Precious had a hot start in game 1, but she never aligned her shot at the top right, and Dewey ran it back from there, making a couple of nice runs to set up the 8 at the top left. Dewey converted for the win and a 1-0 series lead. Dewey began with a four-ball run in game 2, but he didn't have a chance to make a shot at the top left. Precious played good defense via positioning before her four-ball run to get onto the 8. Dewey scratched on his next turn, and Precious picked up the win to tie the series at 1. Dewey and Precious had a bit of an awkward race after potting the right pockets fairly quickly. Dewey had the first chance at the 8, but he missed a bad-angled bank, and Precious made a pair of shots to win on the next turn for the 2-1 series lead. Precious didn't have to compete much with Dewey in game 4, as Dewey's multiple scratches put him too far behind. Precious picked up an easy win to seal the series at 3-1. Precious faded late in game 5 after a good start, her strategic scratch backfiring as Dewey made a pair of shots and then the 8 on a separate turn for the win. Precious still won the series 3-2, making her the first player in the Semifinals.
Sage v. Strut. Members of the Prime club meet with the silver cue in this series. Sage started with one of each on the breaking, choosing stripes. It looked like a mistake until Strut potted a defensive blocker Sage put at the top left. Sage had a three-ball run following that, but she missed the 8 and Strut tapped it to the top right for the win and 1-0 series lead. Strut had stripes in game 2, working around the table with ease at first before trying to align his final ball. Sage took a little more time with her attack, but had enough at the end to pull ahead and win on a pair of shots. Sage's win tied the close series at 1. Sage had a good break with one of each in game 3, which allowed Strut to attack well early on. Strut went for positioning when Sage hit a four-ball run, but Sage never made her final ball, and Strut took three shots over his last two turns for the win. Strut's series lead is restored at 2-1. Momentum swung back to Sage in game 4, as Strut's hot start helped Sage with a big run early on. Strut never had a chance to cleanly attack the left corners, as Sage quickly finished the win to retie the series at 2. Strut had five balls down in game 5 before Sage could really react, but she did a good job of blocking the bottom left. Strut took too long to get into position, and then removed Sage's blockers on his last ball and the 8 as he tried to push through. Sage needed just a pair of shots at the end to take the win, which she did, giving her a 3-2 series win. Sage is set to play in the Semifinals.
Kiwi v. Nibbles. The blue cue takes its Quarterfinals appearance between another pair of league veterans. Kiwi made too many mistakes in game 1, and capped off the tough game with an error as well. Nibbles took advantage of this, and used favorable positioning to get his win for a 1-0 series lead. Kiwi played a bit better in game 2, especially on a late three-ball run, but she bricked her shots on the 9 twice, leaving Nibbles to make a pair on his last turn for the win to go up 2-0 in the series. Nibbles did almost everything right in game 3, but he again struggled with last-ball positioning. Kiwi wasn't great at the end either after her hot start, but a strategic scratch paid off late and she blocked Nibbles' last chance at his 9 toward the top left. Kiwi won on the next turn, staying alive despite trailing 2-1 in the series. Kiwi and Nibbles each attacked well early in game 4, with Nibbles taking the early lead. Nibbles probably could have gotten the win if he had positioned better, but a scratch led to Kiwi making a four-ball run-out instead. Kiwi has tied the series at 2, setting up a decisive finale. Kiwi saved her best for last, starting game 5 with a massive five-ball run, and then removing Nibbles' defense on her last shot of the turn. Kiwi played patiently as Nibbles showed some frustration, and Kiwi won on her third turn to take the series 3-2 in a comeback. Kiwi has lived dangerously in recent games, but she will visit Precious in the first Semifinal.
Barasa Contee v. Ruby. The last unaffiliated player meets a league legend with the red cue to end the Quarterfinals. Barasa made two solids on his curveball break in game 1, but it was virtually all Ruby after that, as she made a matching pair, a four-ball run, and then the 8 on a kick to the top left after Barasa scratched. Ruby is up 1-0 in the series. Barasa fought harder early in game 2 with a five-ball run, but his scratch and missed contact later in the game unraveled a good play early. Ruby took over with a six-ball run-out at the end, pushing her series lead to 2-0. Ruby had another good start in game 3, but Barasa kept pace in this one. The two players locked in with defense near the left corners. Ruby got out of it first, but she made illegal contact trying to get onto the 8, and Barasa won with a pair of shots from ball-in-hand. Barasa's win cuts Ruby's series lead down to 2-1. Ruby had almost all of the offense after Barasa scratched on the break, but her bank attempt on the 3 led to the 8 falling prematurely in the top right. Barasa took the gifted win to retie the series at 2 games apiece. Barasa had an ugly break in game 5, but Ruby picked off a few shots early on. Barasa kept it close, but an illegally potted ball at the end caused his downfall. Ruby would not miss on a three-ball run-out of simple shots, giving her the win and 3-2 series win. Ruby will host Sage in the second Semifinal.
Precious v. Kiwi. The first Semifinal is with the silver cue between two longtime league captains. Game 1 started off with a lot of offense, but it turned defensive later on. Precious had the lead for most of the game, with Kiwi threatening before her offense went cold. Precious would surge after Kiwi scratched, earning the win that gives Precious a 1-0 series lead. Precious had a hot start with a three-ball run, and although she had a scratch soon after that, Kiwi could only pull even on her attacks. Kiwi had a chance to kick her last ball to the top right after Precious whiffed on the 8, but Kiwi couldn't convert and Precious made a tap-in for the win. Precious is up 2-0 in the series. Kiwi had her best chance at a win in game 3, quickly getting onto the 8 after executing a brilliant four-ball run. Precious held her ground defensively and got Kiwi to miss the 8 twice before rallying with a three-ball run-out to snag the win. Precious secured the series at 3-0. Precious could have helped her club-mate in Kiwi's push for third place, but Precious instead ripped a three-ball run from the break and took little time to get the win while Kiwi flailed around the table. Precious is now at a 4-0 series lead. Precious and Kiwi battled evenly in game 3, but it looked like Precious backed off at the end, showing some kindness to let Kiwi get the win. Precious takes a 4-1 series win with her to the Final series. Kiwi went 15-12 in the competition, for the purposes of ranking.
Ruby v. Sage. The second Semifinal is played with the blue cue. Ruby had two stripes on the break, but she also scratched, which ruined her strategy. Sage had some good offense early, but she accelerated to a successful finish when Ruby left Sage's final run lined up. Sage converted the three-ball run-out to go up 1-0 in the series. Ruby got a bit confused with her positioning in the middle of game 2, and she accidentally bumped in a ball for Sage as well to make things worse for herself. Sage made three balls over the last two turns for the win, going to a 2-0 series lead. Ruby kept herself in the series after Sage double-potted at the top right on the game 3 break. Sage tried defense late in the game, but Ruby got behind it to take the win, cutting the series back to 2-1. Ruby trailed for most of game 4, but she had good positioning while Sage struggled to get her final ball near the bottom side. Sage never got a good look, and Ruby took a pair of shots at the end for the equalizing win to tie the series at 2. Sage did a lot right in game 5, especially with her positioning, but Ruby showed just a little more grit, disrupting Sage's planned shot pattern at the with a crafty bank. On the next turn, Sage gave Ruby's last ball away, and two turns after that, Ruby put the 8 away after Sage missed a kick on her last strip. Ruby took the series 3-2, setting her up to face her niece Precious in the Final series. Sage's 17-10 record gives her third place in the preseason, while Kiwi ranked fourth.
Ruby v. Precious. The final series pits Enterprise members and relatives against each other with the red cue. Precious had a glaring error in game 1, grabbing ball-in-hand after Ruby made light but legal contact. Ruby made a three-ball run off of that, and took the 8 two turns later for the win and a 1-0 series lead. Ruby had good positioning early in game 2, but she butchered a couple of simple shots to complicate things. Precious pressured as much as she could, but she couldn't get onto the 8 before Ruby converted it after correcting her mistakes well. Ruby is up 2-0 in the series, a win away from the preseason championship. Precious capitalized on Ruby's awful break to start game 3, using a big push late in the game to get her positioning. Ruby had all her shots lined up but not enough time, as Precious won with a pair of shots, making one more game meaningful as Ruby's series lead sits at 2-1. Precious made a late-falling stripe on the game 4 break, but her jam shot on the next play bumped the 8 into the top side, the illegal finish gifting the win, the series at 3-1, and the preseason champion title to Ruby, all without her taking a shot in the decisive game. Ruby completed the series with a sharp win in game 5, holding off a late push from Precious. Ruby took the series 4-1 in the end, and she is the first champion of 13-ball, albeit unofficially from a league perspective.
The intent is to add 13-ball to the mix in Tournament play for 2019. This will cause a realignment in games played per series in the bracket stages and Finals. The first three rounds will now be three-game series (previously, only first two round). The Bracket Quarterfinals, Semifinals, and Finals will all now be five-game series (no change for Bracket Quarterfinals, down from seven-game series for the others), and the Finals will be seven-game series (previously nine-game series). This will allow the third round in particular to progress faster than before with the added event. Qualifying for 2019 will begin Thursday if everything stays to plan.
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