Today, we put the finishing touches on the Bowl Series. First up...
Intel Center, Diamond: Sage v. Prism. Prime and Outcast foes battle with the red cue in the first of today's mostly secondary-level bowls. Victoria's Sage found her groove with a five-ball run-out in 7-ball, setting the tone to pull ahead 1-0 over Todavía's Prism. The Stills' Prism had more success in 8-ball, working a five-ball run. The Spurs' Sage couldn't make a response, and Prism took the win to tie the series at 1. Sage floundered a bit in 9-ball, with her miss on the 4 setting up Prism for the 4-9 combination to the top right. Prism went ahead 2-1 in the series with the win. Sage got back on track in 10-ball, bouncing a shot off the 9 to push the 10 to the top right after Prism's offense bottomed out. The series is tied at 2. Sage had positioning in 12-ball, but Prism removed some defense near the end. Sage couldn't finish the attack, and Prism surged forward for the win and 3-2 series lead. Sage had all the offense in 13-ball, showing clear lines and easy shots. Prism didn't have the right positioning and elected to keep her defense late, but Sage easily won anyway to retie the series at 3. Prism and Sage kept it close at the start of Rotation, but Prism had pulled away at the end for an 8-4 win to take a 4-3 series lead. The ending of 15-ball was not a particularly clean one as both players struggled to focus. Sage ended up getting this win, tying the series at 4. Sage held on for as long as she could in Accuracy, but Prism walked away with a 2-4 win for the 5-4 Diamond Bowl win.
Nestle's Warriors Hall, Central: Whiskers v. Midnight. Enterprise and Brute Force send representatives to play with the blue cue. Maplewood's Whiskers didn't play very well in 7-ball, slipping around and missing contact. Westside's Midnight carried the offense for a win and 1-0 series lead. The Lumberjacks' Whiskers found her form in 8-ball, this time looking like the much stronger player in a takedown of the Rockers' Midnight. Whiskers tied the series at 1. Midnight didn't make contact on the 8 after a close battle to that point in 9-ball. Whiskers made the final pair from ball-in-hand for the win, pulling ahead 2-1 in the series. Whiskers notched a five-ball run over the middle of 10-ball, but it took Midnight completely collapsing at the end for Whiskers to get her chance on the 10 for the win. Whiskers now leads the series 3-1. Whiskers gave away a wild-card ball early in 12-ball, allowing Midnight to have a little flexibility. Midnight took advantage with a three-ball run-out for the win to cut the deficit to 3-2. Whiskers again had a good start in 13-ball, but it gave way to a slow finish. Midnight surged with all seven balls over three turns for the win to tie the series at 3. Midnight kept an edge on Whiskers for most of Rotation, but it was a slow-moving game at best. Midnight's finish saw her convert the 13-14 combination to the top right with a deflection to pot the 15 at the bottom right for the 8-6 win and 4-3 series lead. Another slow battle saw Midnight find a three-ball run-out at the end of 15-ball to finish off Whiskers. Midnight clinched the Central Bowl by a 5-3 margin. Whiskers got one back at the very end as Midnight sportingly missed the last ball. Whiskers won Accuracy 2-3, but Midnight won the bowl 5-4.
Starbucks Arena, Archtown: Taylor S. v. Stinky. The silver cue administers today's highlighted bowl between Celebrity and Reality. Commerce's Taylor S. had a three-ball run on both of her turns in 7-ball, overwhelming Freedom's Stinky to grab the win for a 1-0 series lead. The Tradewinds' Taylor S. stayed solid in 8-ball, but it was the Cascades' Stinky streaking on a five-ball run-out to get the win. This tied the series at 1 game each. Taylor S. had a decent attack early in 9-ball, but dropped off from there. Stinky found a 5-8-9 combination to the top right for the win that put him ahead 2-1 in the series. Stinky had an illegal pot on the 10 at the top right early on. Taylor S. then bounced back with a run at the end to get the win that retied the series at 2. Stinky was down to his last ball with the help of a wild-card ball in 12-ball, but he scratched twice and completely fell apart. Taylor S. slowly worked her way back to take the win for a 3-2 series lead. Taylor S. had a much more convincing effort in 13-ball, taking one of each early and pushing solids to her liking on a deep run. Taylor S. easily won for the 4-2 series lead. Taylor S. built up a nice lead in Rotation, only for Stinky to threaten late with a three-ball run. Taylor S. weathered the attack and won 8-6, clinching the Archtown Bowl at 5-2. Stinky got one back in 15-ball, taking the back-and-forth battle that Taylor S. couldn't quite get a grip on. Taylor S. remains ahead 5-3 in the series. Taylor S. took it easy in Accuracy as well, unraveling near the end to allow Stinky a 2-4 win. Taylor S. settled for a 5-4 series win as Celebrity proved their worth over Reality this year.
Samsung Arena, Whitewater: Ice Cream v. Kodiak. Enterprise and Outcast each see their second bowls of the day, using the purple cue. Boston's Ice Cream seemed to have more of the possession in 7-ball, but a miss on the 7 allowed Modernistic's Kodiak to earn the win and 1-0 series lead. The Swifts' Ice Cream wouldn't go down in 8-ball, taking a four-ball run early on. The Union's Kodiak answered on a six-ball run but couldn't finish his effort, and Ice Cream did instead for the win to tie the series at 1. Ice Cream didn't have as much success in 9-ball, posting only moderate offense. Kodiak had a three-ball run-out for the win, with a little on his side to pull ahead 2-1 in the series. Ice Cream made the 10 illegally early in 10-ball, and she wouldn't get another good look at it. Kodiak once again controlled the end with a four-ball run-out for the win to push his advantage to 3-1. Ice Cream and Kodiak each scratched early in 12-ball. Ice Cream had the earlier surge in offense, but she never got it under control, and Kodiak ended up with the win to go up 4-1 in the series. Kodiak had an early attack in 13-ball, but his positioning from there was poor. Ice Cream would rally late on a three-ball run-out for the win to pull back to a 4-2 series deficit. Ice Cream blasted a big run early in Rotation, and she held off Kodiak's late counterattack for the 8-5 win. Kodiak's lead has shrunk to 4-3 in the series. Kodiak finally finished off the Whitewater Bowl with a win in 15-ball, holding off a spirited effort from Ice Cream. Kodiak's series lead is 5-3 with a game to go. The two players were perfect deep into Accuracy until Kodiak missed his bank on the last ball. Ice Cream made it on a bank to the bottom right for the 0-1 win. Kodiak won the series 5-4.
Apple Center, Todavía: Isabella v. Roxy. Two Eastern Hills foes from Youth Movement and Forest SC square up in the finale with the green cue. Freedom's Roxy posted a four-ball run in 7-ball, but Atlantic's Isabella brought it home with a three-ball run-out for the win. The Pirates' Isabella seemed pretty strong in 8-ball, but the Cascades' Roxy surged late and found enough offense for the win to tie the series at 1. Isabella did okay in 9-ball, but Roxy capitalized after Isabella scratched. Roxy converted a 4-9 combination to the top right for the win and 2-1 series lead. Isabella opened with a five-ball run in 10-ball, but her supporting offense lacked and Roxy ultimately snagged the win in the end for a 3-1 series lead. Isabella started out just fine in 12-ball, but Roxy's first turn was a six-ball run-out for the win to push her advantage to a staggering 4-1 lead. Roxy played a long-game strategy in 13-ball, trying to align everything before attacking. A late scratch doomed her as Isabella gained the win to cut the series to 4-2. Isabella held the early lead in Rotation, but she completely fell apart by the end, and Roxy stepped in for an 8-5 win to clinch the Todavía Bowl at 5-2. Isabella picked up a tight win in 15-ball after Roxy couldn't do anything with a poorly-positioned 15. Isabella's victory cut the series to 5-3. Isabella picked up a 2-3 win in Accuracy to make the series look a little bit better, but Roxy still won it 5-4.
That's it for 2019 (34 days late, but who's counting?). We'll be finalizing any potential trades tomorrow, and then the Tournament X draft is Wednesday. Following the draft will be numerous administrative duties to prepare for the upcoming competition. This includes printing new jerseys, updating the career document, preparing and finalizing the new Tournament document, and the hallowed cue allocation, now featuring five sticks. I anticipate to be ready to begin the next Tournament process with Qualifiers beginning on Monday.
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