Shannon "The Cannon" Daulton, Daniel McKinney "Lil D", Randy Jordan, & Sonya McAbee-owner Bama Billiard Cllub
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As Daniel McKinney sat in the hot seat, awaiting his finals opponent during the February 9-10 stop on the Great Southern Billiard Tour, two brothers, Jeff and Randy Jordan, were wending their way through the loss side, in an attempt to face him in the finals. Randy had been defeated by McKinney in the second round. The two brothers met in the quarterfinals, and it was Randy who advanced and eventually challenged McKinney. To no avail, as it turned out. McKinney prevailed a second time against Randy and went undefeated to claim the event title. The $1,500-added, handicapped event drew 32 entrants to the Bama Billiard Club in Tuscaloosa, AL.
As the brothers were at work on the loss side, McKinney moved among the winners' side final four for a straight-up, race-to-11 match against fellow AA player, Mike Laney. Another AA player, Jeff Abernathy, squared off against B-player Chris Brown. McKinney downed Laney 11-8, and was met in the hot seat match by Abernathy, who'd sent Brown west 11-5. McKinney moved into the hot seat with an 11-5 win over Abernathy, and waited to see how the sibling rivalry scenario would turn out.
The Jordan brothers were waiting for Laney and Brown on the loss side. Jeff had gotten by Dennis Palmer and Jonathan Tedder by a combined score of 18-5 to pick up Brown. Laney drew Randy, in the midst of his seven-match, loss side winning streak that had included victories over Billy Kuykendall and Brandon Davenport, by a combined score of 22-3. The brothers Jordan advanced to the quarterfinals. Laney put up a fight against Randy, but fell 11-8. Jeff gave up only a single rack against Brown and turned to face his brother.
Randy then stopped his brother's loss-side streak 11-4 and kept going. He downed Abernathy 11-2 in the semifinals, finishing his loss-side streak with an aggregate score of 55-15 over his last five matches. McKinney, though, ended that run with an 11-8 victory in the finals to claim the event title.
Tour directors Shannon Daulton and Marge Cooper thanked Bama Billiard Club owners, Harold and Sonya McAbee for their hospitality, noting that the GSBT will return to the site in May. The next scheduled stop on the GSBT is a $1,000-added event, set for February 16-17 at Johnny Archer's room, the Marietta Billiard Club in Marietta, GA.
