We're back for another day that brings us to nearly a quarter completion of the First Round. The purple cue is getting another day off. We begin with...
Pepsi Arena, Lighton: Acorn v. Isabella. The red cue opens the day in Accuracy. Lighton's Acorn fell behind early in game 1, but he kept it close. Atlantic's Isabella then dropped into a tie on the last ball and missed her overtime break, allowing Acorn to win 2-3 for the 1-0 series lead. The Prestige's Acorn had a solid performance until late in game 2, when a miss put him behind. The Pirates' Isabella clamped down for the 1-2 win to tie the series at 1. Isabella saw her luck run out in the middle of game 3, and Acorn made sure it would stay that way with his own solid shooting. Acorn won 2-4 and took the series 2-1, which allows him to host Swordpoint Blades veteran Dreamy in the second round.
Kraft Forum, Royal: Sunshine v. Starlight. More Accuracy follows with the blue cue on hand. Both players were perfect down to the last ball, where Pacific's Starlight missed and Royal's Sunshine converted for the 0-1 win. Sunshine is ahead 1-0 in the series. Game 2 was similar but opposite, with the Crowns' Sunshine taking a scratch on the break as the only flaw on either side. The Volcanoes' Starlight took her 0-1 win to tie the series at 1. Game 3 was unlike the others, with a spate of early misses on both sides. At the end, Sunshine scratched to fall behind, and Starlight's ball-in-hand play earned her a 3-4 win to take the series 2-1. Starlight will play in the second round.
Intel Center, Diamond: Debby v. Midnight. Determined players meet in 9-ball with the silver cue. Diamond's Debby had a good stretch of offense in game 1, but it took Westside's Midnight misplaying the 9 for Debby to get the win. Debby leads the series 1-0. The Gems' Debby had another good game 2 effort, but it wasn't enough. Debby made illegal contact on the 9, setting up the Rockers' Midnight for a pair of shots from ball-in-hand to win the game and tie the series at 1. Midnight took over the offense in game 3 with a four-ball run initially and a five-ball run-out on her second turn to stun Debby. Midnight won the series 2-1 with the dominant effort, and she'll visit an Urban rival in the Modernistic Union's Puff I in the second round.
Nestle's Warriors Hall, Central: Mr. Snowman v. Jane. The silver cue stays on for 8-ball. Stonebridge's Jane squandered far too many attempts at the 8 in game 1, allowing Central's Mr. Snowman to pick up a lucky win for the 1-0 series lead. Another close battle in game 2 surfaced, with the Warriors' Mr. Snowman just missing a late bank attempt on his last stripe. The Wolves' Jane attacked with a three-ball run-out to tie the series at 1 with her win. Mr. Snowman slowly chipped in offense in game 3, leaving him totally unprepared for a six-ball run-out from Jane. This huge burst gave Jane the win and 2-1 series win to move her into the second round.
Nike Field Events Center, Commerce: Rosemary v. Pauline. Younger players clash in 13-ball with the green cue. Commerce's Rosemary went to great lengths to set up at the top side, but Queens' Pauline protected that pocket quite well. Rosemary finally struck there but missed on the 8, and Pauline made a pair at the end for the win and 1-0 series lead. The Flames' Pauline made one of each and scratched on the game 2 break. She elected to take solids, and that proved to be the correct move, as the Tradewinds' Rosemary struggled on stripes. Pauline would get a late pair for the win to clinch the series at 2-0. Pauline again made one of each on the break in game 3, and once again she had the better positioning compared to Rosemary. Pauline's finish was still pretty close, but she got the win and a 3-0 series sweep to vault her into the second round.
Coca-Cola Field Exhibition Center, Boston: Gradley v. Maison. The green cue goes again in 9-ball. An unimpressive game 1 on both sides ended with Boston's Gradley making a pair of shots for the win and 1-0 series lead over Eastside's Maison. The Sharks' Maison benefited from the Swifts' Gradley suffering a miscue in game 2, which resulted in a scratch. Maison then rallied with a four-ball run-out for the win, tying the series at 1 game apiece. Game 3 had a stunning finish, with Gradley's miss on the 1 leading to Maison throwing the 1 at the 9 and getting rewarded when the latter fell in the bottom side for the win. Maison took the series in a 2-1 upset and will visit Tysini Hummingbirds sophomore Sarah in the second round.
Audi Hall, Terrace City: Melissa v. Sparkles. The silver cue is set to play in Rotation. Terrace City's Melissa had a pair of four-ball runs in game 1, more than enough to top a three-ball run from Golden's Sparkles. Melissa's 8-3 win gave her the 1-0 series lead. The Pilots' Sparkles made more of an effort in game 2, one that the Knights' Melissa couldn't keep pace with. Sparkles won with a double-pot of the 11 and 12 to the right corners on a perfect deflection for the 8-5 win that tied the series at 1. Sparkles had the lead and a clear shot to get the win, but a miscue resulted in a scratch. Melissa then tied the game and banked the 14 to the top right for the 8-7 win to take the series at 2-1. Melissa's lucky escape has her in the second round.
Sony Center, Queens: Briana v. Ruby. Bringing us to halfway complete today, the blue cue plays 12-ball. Queens' Briana had a positive attack in game 1, and her defensive positioning prevented Todavía's Ruby from making a comeback. Briana made three balls over the last two turns for the win and 1-0 series lead. The Stills' Ruby had a tough stretch at the start of game 2, but the Flames' Briana failed to capitalize on it. After some positional play, Ruby worked a four-ball run-out for the win, tying the series at 1. Ruby surrendered a wild-card ball on the break in game 3 but still took it down to the wire. Ruby was a shot away from winning when Briana struck her last ball to the top side for a 2-1 series win. Briana moves on to round two.
UPS Hall, Maplewood: Summer v. Angelica. Another 12-ball series with the blue cue is here. Positioning was good for both players in game 1, but Lighton's Angelica had a little more luck maintaining it. She did give away a wild-card ball on the winning shot, allowing Maplewood's Summer a counterattack chance that fell a shot short. Angelica leads the series 1-0. The Prestige's Angelica worked a three-ball run from the break and kept the Lumberjacks' Summer out of good positions in game 2. A couple turns later, Angelica had a quick win to secure the series at 2-0. Summer avoided the sweep with a solid game 3, aided by Angelica's scratch as she made her last ball. Angelica still won the series 2-1 to get a trip to the second round.
Ford Forum, Pronger: Spot v. Solaris. The silver cue also gets a look in 12-ball. Pronger's Spot surrendered a wild-card ball in game 1, and Commerce's Solaris used the flexibility well at the end to get the win. Solaris holds a 1-0 series lead. The Tradewinds' Solaris started game with a three-ball run, but a pair of scratches slowed him down. The Tridents' Spot wasn't able to capitalize on good positioning, and his missed contact allowed Solaris to end the game victorious. Solaris sealed the series at 2-0. Spot put up quite a fight in game 3, but it still wasn't enough to dethrone Solaris. The visitor Solaris finished off a 3-0 series sweep at the bottom right to punch his ticket to the second round.
Cisco Arena, Tysini: Leandra v. Americus. A daughter hosts her mother in 8-ball with the red cue. Midland's Americus had a five-ball run to get herself back in game 1, but she illegally potted the 8 to gift a still well-earned win to Tysini's Leandra, who will own a 1-0 series lead. The Hummingbirds' Leandra continued to have a consistent offense in game 2, and it was stronger than what the Predators' Americus brought. Leandra finished this win with a nice cut on the 8 to the bottom side to clinch the series at 2-0. Leandra continued her heavy attack in game 3, pushing the 8 right through Americus' defense at the end. Leandra swept the series 3-0 and will host Lighton Prestige rookie Angelica in the second round.
AT&T Hall, Oceanside: Josie v. Kodiak. Outcast club-mates battle in 9-ball with the red cue. Oceanside's Josie put down a three-ball run in game 1, but choppy offense after that led to Modernistic's Kodiak picking up the win for a 1-0 lead in the series. The Union's Kodiak had a majority of the possession in game 2, but his miss on the 9 would cost him the result. The Waves' Josie made no mistake on the winning shot to tie the series at 1. Josie made a ball on the break and missed her next shot in game 3. Kodiak ripped a seven-ball run-out from there, finishing with an 8-9 combination to the top left to win the series 2-1. Kodiak heads into round two.
Pepsi Arena, Lighton: Spirit v. Watermelon. Stars of different league eras square off with the blue cue in 10-ball. Pearl's Watermelon had a four-ball run early in game 1, but her finishing was a touch off. Lighton's Spirit struck back with a three-ball run-out for the 1-0 lead in the series. The Prestige's Spirit was a little more involved throughout game 2, while the Surfers' Watermelon had a few too many misses on easy shots. Spirit's pair of shots at the finish sealed the series at 2-0. Spirit came very close to picking up a sweep, but her shot on the 10 in game 3 left it on the edge of the top left. Watermelon tapped it in for the win, leaving Spirit to take a 2-1 series win as she sets up to host the Royal Crowns' Jake in the second round.
HP Field Events Center, Midland: Chicky Phil v. Oreo. The day-ending stretch of Accuracy begins here with the green cue. Midland's Chicky Phil had an awful time keeping up in game 1, as Terrace City's Oreo took a convincing 2-7 win for the 1-0 series lead. An even performance through regulation left the Knights' Oreo with the overtime break, which she got very little movement on. The Predators' Chicky Phil converted a long-range shot on the 13 to take the 2-3 win, which in turn tied the series at 1. Chicky Phil held on at the very end of a back-and-forth game 3 to get a 3-4 win, as Oreo couldn't force him into a miss. Chicky Phil ended up winning the series 2-1, which puts him in the second round.
Chevrolet Center, Everton: Vincent v. Citrus. Another Accuracy series features the red cue. Everton's Vincent fouled by moving a ball accidentally with his stick in game 1. That set off a massive collapse that allowed Lighton's Citrus to escape with a 1-5 win for the 1-0 series lead. While not quite as dramatic, the Eagles' Vincent still faded late in game 2. The Prestige's Citrus held steady as she did before, winning 1-4 to clinch the series at 2-0. Citrus kept the same standard in game 3, but this time it wasn't enough, as Vincent played perfectly for a 0-1 win. Citrus settled for a 2-1 series win to earn the right to host Autumn of the Diamond Gems in the second round.
Pepsi Arena, Lighton: Shiny v. Celestia. Finally, the silver cue closes the day in Accuracy. Margins were thin in game 1, with Lighton's Shiny learning that the hard way. Her lone miss in the middle of the game set up Oceanside's Celestia for a 0-1 win and 1-0 series lead. The Waves' Celestia appeared set for a similar result until the end of game 2, where her lead fell apart. The Prestige's Shiny did a little pushing to get the 2-3 win that tied the series at 1. Celestia pushed back in game 3, although some shaky mid-game play put her in danger. Shiny faded at the end this time, and Celestia's 3-5 win was enough to give her the series at 2-1.
We'll go again tomorrow as the First Round chugs along.
No comments:
Post a Comment