Chip Compton, Mike Durbin-sponsor and Mike Banks, Jr.
In the last four matches of the Midwest 9-Ball Tour's One-Pocket event, held at Shooter's in Olathe, KS on the weekend of February 16-17, the advancing players, including the eventual winner, Chip Compton, didn't give up a single game to their opponent. The $1,000-added One Pocket event, run concurrently with both an Open and Ladies event, drew 42 entrants.
The advancing players among the winners' side final four (all in races to three games) were Compton, who shut out Shane McMinn, and John Gabriel, who shut out Benny Conway, Jr. Compton then shut out Gabriel and sat in the hot seat, waiting for Mike Banks, Jr. to complete a five-match, loss-side streak to meet up with him in the finals.
McMinn moved west to pick up Michael Perron, Jr., who'd shut out Jacob White, and survived a double hill struggle against Mike Parker. Conway had the misfortune of drawing Banks, who'd been sent west by McMinn and commenced his five-match march back to the finals with a double hill win over Eric Durbin, and a 3-1 victory over Nick Tafoya. Three of the four opponents in the battle for the 5/6 slots were 'juniors.' Two of them advanced to the quarterfinals; Perron, Jr. downed McMinn 3-1, and Banks, Jr. eliminated Conway, Jr., double hill.
Junior Banks then ended Junior Perron's weekend with a double hill win, and completed his loss-side streak with a 3-1 victory over Gabriel in the semifinals. Compton, though, who'd finished 4th in this same event last year, chalked up his third straight shutout, to finish undefeated and claim the event title.
