Upper Midwest state and national women's champions descended on Burnsville, Minnesota for the inaugural event of the MNBilliards.com Ladies Tour - Stars of the North division. A qualifier for the WPBA Cuetec Cues Nationals to be held in Oregon this fall, Coors Light sponsored a paid spot for the winner of this qualifier. Add $500 payout to the field, contributed by Shooters Billiards and MNBilliards.com, and you have a doozie of a tournament!
Classic battles were to start early on, with Pam Bell (2002 BCA Nationals Womens Masters Champion) of Milwaukee, Wisconsin, squaring off against Jeri Bouvette of Sioux Falls, South Dakota in the third round. This set was a rematch of the 2002 Minnesota BCA Ladies Masters singles finals, in which Bouvette ousted Bell for first place honors for the ladies masters, denying her a coveted champion jacket for that year. Pam exacted her revenge quickly against Bouvette, who was then sent to the backside to make her way back.
Classic match-ups continued, as Janene Hague (VNEA Hall of Fame and MN Women's Masters Champion) and Jolene Herum (MNBCA 2003 Ladies Masters Champion) duked it out in the quarter finals, while Pam Bell and June Maiers (MNBilliards.com Ladies Spring Tour Champion) fought to see who was going to get to play for the catbird's seat. Pam and Jolene succeeded, and waited for the backside of the bracket to finish up.
Jeri Bouvette and Jolene Herum survived tough competition to battle to be the winner the "B" side, after Bell knocked Herum to the one-loss in the semifinal. Bouvette and Herum, former teammates, struggled through their match with Bouvette earning the right to play the waiting Bell.
As Bell and Bouvette started out, it looked as though Bell was going to make it quick and painless quickly going up 5-0 on Bouvette on a race to 7. But great players don't go down easy. Bouvette picked up the pace, while Bell went momentarily out of stroke, letting Jeri back in the game with 4 unanswered wins. But it wasn't to be as Bell woke up and finished the job, defeating Bouvette 7-4, earning her way to the Nationals.
Complete results:
1st Pam Bell $351 + $500 Paid Entry to Cuetec Cues National
2nd Jeri Bouvette $220
3rd Jolene Herum $150
4th June Maiers $90
5th/6th Janene Hague, Kelly Haffner $40
Photo and report courtesy of MNBilliards.com
