Mike Davis
Mike Davis made a major move in the Action Pool Tour's 2012-2013 performance ratings with an undefeated weekend on the tour's sixth stop. Davis won three out of every four games he played, going 42-14 over six matches, including two victories over Brandon Shuff; first, among the winners' side final eight and again, in the finals. The 8-ball event drew 38 entrants to Diamond Billiards in Midlothian, VA.
Mike Davis opened with a 7-1 victory over Lewis Thomas, followed that with a 7-3 win over Dominic Noe (# 2 on tour rankings), and then sent Shuff west 7-2 to move among the winners' side final four. He was met there by Shaun Wilkie. Tour director Ozzy Reynolds and Dave Hunt squared off in the other winner's side semifinal. Davis and Reynolds downed Wilkie and Hunt, both 7-4 and met in the hot seat match, won by Davis, 7-2.
Shuff had moved over, defeating Danny Mastermaker 5-2, and Alan Duty 5-4, to pick up Hunt. Wilkie drew Larry Kressel, who, after being sent to the loss side by Wilkie, survived two straight double hill matches against Dwayne Laub and Leroy Davis to earn the re-match. Shuff dropped Hunt 5-2, and in the quarterfinals, met up with Wilkie, who'd downed Kressel a second time 5-2.
Shuff gave up only a single rack in his quarterfinal match against Wilkie, and faced Reynolds in the semifinals. Shuff took Reynolds down 5-2, earning the re-match against Davis. Davis, though, was not to be denied and concluded his undefeated weekend with a 7-2 victory over Shuff.
The results left Brett Stottlemyer (who finished in the 13-16 slot) at the top of the tour rankings, with Dominic Noe (finishing in the 9-12 slot) about 200 points behind him. Davis moved into third place, ahead of Dan Madden, Brian Deska (who did not compete), and Reynolds.
The seventh stop on the Action Pool Tour, a 10-ball event, is scheduled for March 30-31 at Q-Master Billiards in Virginia Beach, VA.
