We're ready to resume the bracket quarterfinals today, although the purple cue will get one additional day off. We begin with...
Kraft Forum, Royal: Katelynn v. Neopolitan. The silver cue is up for 15-ball to start the day. Royal's Katelynn was good early on in game 1, and she made a three-ball run late, but Pearl's Neopolitan answered each time and picked up the win when she made the 15 to the top left. Neopolitan leads the series 1-0. The Surfers' Neopolitan had a bad break in game 2, but she made the most of it with a five-ball run-out to grab the win as the Crowns' Katelynn had a tougher time navigating the congested table. Neopolitan holds a 2-0 series lead. Another choppy battle early in game 3 gave way to Neopolitan clinching the series on a four-ball run-out when Katelynn's offense remained inconsistent at the end. Neopolitan is up 3-0 in the series. Neopolitan couldn't corral the win in game 4, as Katelynn showed a little resilience to take her share of the offense this time. Neopolitan remains ahead 3-1 in the series. The 15 ended up near the top left during game 5, and Neopolitan buried it on a 5-15 combination to secure a 4-1 series win over Katelynn. Neopolitan will be on the road in the bracket semifinals.
Gillette Center, Swordpoint: Bandit v. Sleepy B. The red cue's lone appearance today is in 7-ball. Swordpoint's Bandit picked up the win in game 1, but it wasn't an elegant effort. Archtown's Sleepy B. had a couple of chances to strike late but faltered, and Bandit cleaned up the scraps for the 1-0 series lead. The Blades' Bandit was more efficient in game 2 with a four-ball run-out at the end, earning the win again over the Arrows' Sleepy B. Bandit is ahead 2-0 in the series. Bandit opened game 3 on a three-ball run, and he added another one before struggling on the 7. Sleepy B. was no better, twice missing the 7 herself before Bandit buried it for the win to seal the series at 3-0. Bandit ended up giving away game 4, as Sleepy B. still failed to finish on the 7. Bandit cut it to the top left, but the hard carom resulted in a scratch. Bandit holds a 3-1 series lead after the botched finish. Bandit pulled off a decoy shot to wrap up game 5, his attempt on the 5 deflecting to take the 7 at the top left for a 4-1 series win over Sleepy B. Bandit will visit the Midland Predators' Kitty in the bracket semifinals. Sleepy B. is the 39th eliminated player and the first kill of the year for Bandit.
Microsoft Center, Del Sur: Mams v. Sierra. The silver cue returns for a 7-ball series between Coastal rivals. Todavía's Sierra quickly grabbed control of game 1 and won on a five-ball run-out after Southern's Mams stumbled at the start. Sierra's win gives her a 1-0 series lead. The Stills' Sierra wasn't as sharp in game 2, and the Monarchs' Mams had no trouble picking up the slack with a four-ball run-out for the win. Mams' good positioning helped her tie the series at 1. Mams made three balls on the game 3 break, but couldn't dig the 1 out of a bad position. Sierra bounced back on a four-ball run-out for the win, regaining the series lead at 2-1. Mams found a four-ball run early in game 4, but a shaky finish ended with her scratching while sinking the 7, gifting the win and 3-1 series lead to Sierra. Mams looked good with a four-ball run in game 5, but she came up short on the 5. Sierra made the final pair to get the win and complete a 4-1 series win. Sierra is set to appear in the bracket semifinals.
UPS Hall, Maplewood: Summer v. Twilight. Northeastern rivals tangle in 15-ball with the blue cue. Central's Twilight left the 15 near the bottom left early in game 1, and that led to choppy play on both sides. Twilight fouled while trying to kick on the 5, and Maplewood's Summer used the ball-in-hand to sink the 5-15 combination for the win and 1-0 series lead. An even battle early in game 2 eventually tipped to the Warriors' Twilight, who made five balls over the last three turns as the Lumberjacks' Summer faltered. Twilight's win tied the series at 1. Twilight had the edge on offense in game 3, but she had a couple of ill-timed scratches. Summer used the ball-in-hand on the last one to make a four-ball run-out, regaining the series lead at 2-1. Twilight continued to have good form in game 4, with a seven-ball run early on. Both players would make a three-ball run before Twilight finished with the 15 at the top left to retie the series at 2. Game 5 saw both players take things slowly at first before picking up steam at the end. Summer had a chance at the win but missed the 15, and Twilight banked it to the top right to win the series 3-2. Twilight will be on the road again in the bracket semifinals.
Toyota Arena, Freedom: Nikolai v. Andrew. The Cascades' top-two players this year meet in Rotation with the blue cue. Game 1 saw Nikolai take the early lead very loosely, and it didn't hold up. Andrew battled back and made a pair on each of his last two turns to get the 8-4 win for a 1-0 series lead. Game 2 went reasonably well on both sides in a back-and-forth battle. Nikolai had a chance at the end before a scratch allowed Andrew to win 8-5 from ball-in-hand. Andrew leads the series 2-0. Andrew jumped out to a large lead in game 3, then took his time from there to make the one more shot he needed. Nikolai got close with his rally, but Andrew won 8-4 and secured the series at 3-0. Another close battle emerged in game 4, but it was Nikolai who got the better of this one with a three-ball run-out for the 8-5 win over Andrew, who still leads 3-1. Nikolai just barely held on for another win in Game 5, taking an 8-7 result after Andrew pressured with a five-ball run at one point. Andrew won the series 3-2 and will stay at this venue as the proper host in the bracket semifinals against Eastside Sharks rookie Maison.
IBM Cathedral, North Modernistic: Lionel v. Cubby. Tough foes bring the green cue on for 9-ball. North Modernistic's Lionel had better command than Web City's Cubby in game 1, leading to a productive four-ball run-out at the end that gave Lionel his 1-0 series lead. The Nighthawks' Lionel didn't have much on his break in game 2, and the Spiders' Cubby took over with a four-ball run. Cubby added a pair at the end for the win, tying the series at 1. Cubby went empty on the game 3 break, but the distribution left no clear shot for Lionel, who missed contact. Cubby made the 1 to the bottom side and the 2-9 combination to the bottom left on the next turn for the win and 2-1 series lead. Lionel got back on track with a three-ball run-out in a slow-moving game 4 battle that saw Cubby falter his way through most of his turns. Lionel's win tied the series again at 2. Lionel maintained control early in game 5, and Cubby only had a turn to make an impact. Cubby missed on the 5, and Lionel banked the 5 to the bottom right before sinking the 6-9 combination to the top left for the win and 3-2 series win. Lionel will visit the Tysini Hummingbirds sophomore Sarah in the bracket semifinals. Cubby is the 40th player out of the Tournament, with Lionel earning his first kill in this series.
Pepsi Arena, Lighton: Spirit v. Panda. Veterans battle in 15-ball with the silver cue. Southern's Panda had his eyes on a run to end game 1, but he couldn't quite convert on the 14 at the bottom left. Lighton's Spirit picked up the final pair in a close battle to get the win, giving her a 1-0 series lead. The Monarchs' Panda struggled to gain traction during game 2. At the end, the Prestige's Spirit made a three-ball run and a four-ball run-out two turns apart to get the win, pushing her lead to 2-0. Spirit didn't give Panda a chance to stage a comeback. On the game 3 break, Spirit made the 5 to the bottom left, and the distribution left her an easy 1-15 combination to convert at the top left for the win. Spirit clinched the series at 3-0. The pace dropped dramatically in game 4, with Spirit experiencing a noticeably drop in quality of play. Panda was a little more determined, and he won on a three-ball run-out that included two banks to the top side. Spirit remains ahead 3-1 in the series. Panda kept pushing in game 5, clearly hungry to make the series look better than it did. He got his way with a deflection off the 8 to sink the 15 at the top left, and Spirit settled for a 3-2 series win. Spirit will host Pearl Surfers co-captain Neopolitan in the bracket semifinals.
Gillette Center, Swordpoint: Stealth v. Cowzart. The silver cue stays in action for this Accuracy series. Swordpoint's Stealth was far too inconsistent in game 1, suffering three misses and a scratch while Pacific's Cowzart stayed perfect to pick up a 0-4 win. Cowzart leads the series 1-0. The Volcanoes' Cowzart wasn't bad in game 2, but he didn't sustain his perfect run all the way through. The Blades' Stealth was merciless this time, grabbing a 0-1 win to tie the series at 1. Stealth returned to poor form in game 3, scratching on the break and struggling through the rest of the battle. Cowzart wasn't perfect this time, but his 1-4 win was enough for him to regain the series lead at 2-1. Game 4 was a closer battle than before, with Stealth holding a lead at one point before a pair of misses allowed Cowzart to lock down a 2-3 win. Cowzart sealed the series at 3-1 in the process. Game 5 was a mess on both sides, but Stealth was able to calm down at the end to grab a 4-5 win. Cowzart won the series 3-2 and will visit the Pearl Surfers' Bright in the bracket semifinals. Stealth is the 41st eliminated player of the year, and Cowzart has his first kill.
McDonald's Hall, Atlantic: Steven v. Noelle. The silver cue is done today after this 10-ball series. Neither player looked particularly good in game 1. Central's Noelle lost her cool a bit later on, and Atlantic's Steven stepped in with a three-ball run-out for the win and 1-0 series lead. The Pirates' Steven showed much less control in game 2, amplified by the Warriors' Noelle making a vast improvement. Noelle made the last six balls over two turns to get the win, tying the series at 1. Steven had a surge with a four-ball run in game 3, but he peaked too early. Noelle ended up potting the final pair for the win, giving her a 2-1 series lead. Noelle tried to keep up pretty well in game 4, but she fell off the pace at the end. Steven closed with a three-ball run-out for the win, retying the series at 2. Steven had control in game 5, keeping the offense close to him. Noelle had a couple of chances to strike, but Steven won on a five-ball run-out to take the 3-2 series win. Steven is set to host an Eastern Hills rival in the Pronger Tridents' Avril in the bracket semifinals.
Samsung Arena, Whitewater: Twinkie III v. Patches. Closing the day, the green cue plays in 12-ball. Boston's Patches made a push with a four-ball run in game 1, but she fell short, and Whitewater's Twinkie III was able to just finish out with a win. Twinkie III holds the series lead at 1-0. The Shores' Twinkie III got solids on the game 2 break, but that wasn't the play. The Swifts' Patches attacked with stripes well and adapted when her first plan failed, comfortably earning the win to tie the series at 1. Patches stayed strong at the start of game 3, and she again outplayed Twinkie III for positioning in the middle and at the end. Patches earned the win for a 2-1 series lead. Positioning set itself up nicely for the players early in game 4, but they wasted it with poor shot selection. At the end, Patches gave Twinkie III a wild-card ball, and Twinkie III coughed it back up while yielding one to Patches on a pivotal play. Patches won two turns later to clinch the series at 3-1. Patches completed the surge in game 5, battling at pace with Twinkie III. Both players were on their last ball when Patches cut the 10 to the bottom right for the win. Patches took the series 4-1 and will visit the Golden Pilots' Max in a Southeastern derby in the bracket semifinals.
That's it for today's action. We're a week away from wrapping up the round.
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