Current Won-Lost Standings thru Saturday. One more day to go.
2016 ACCU-STATS MAKE IT HAPPEN 8-BALL INVITATIONAL
Nov. 17-20 - Sandcastle Billiards - Edison NJ
MATCH 12
Shane VAN BOENING 10 – Darren APPLETON 7
Darren Appleton missed a tough cut in the side after breaking the balls in game 1 and it was off to the races for Shane Van Boening, who ran out, then broke and ran out to take a 2-0 lead. In game 3 Appleton got a bad roll, then missed a bank and Van Boening ran out.
The killer for Appleton came in game 4, which began with Van Boening missing a long combination. Appleton missed an easy shot. Van Boening failed to follow his ball in on top of one of Appleton’s – and Appleton then missed another easy shot and Van Boeing rant out. After Appleton’s break, Van Boening ran out, the broke and ran out to complete a sweep of the first 6 games.
Appleton finally won with a break and run, then ran out again after Van Boening missed the key ball – possibly due to a skid. Appleton then broke dry and Van Boening ran out. The score was now 7-2.
In game 10 Van Boening played bad position on the 8-ball and Appleton ran out. In the next game Van Boening missed a long slow roll and Appleton ran out again to close to within 3 games.
Van Boening missed again, jawing a ball with three easy shots remaining, but Appleton missed a tough cross table shot in the side. Van Boening elevated over a ball and speared in a long shot, ran 2 more and won to take a 8-4 lead. After Appleton played poor shape and missed, Van Boening ran out to reach the hill.
In game 14 Van Boening gambled on a thin cut, made it but scratched and Appleton ran out, then broke and ran out, slamming the 8-ball at warp speed into the distant corner pocket. After Van Boening scratched again, Appleton freewheeled his way to another win, and the score was now 9-7. But he made zilch on his break and Van Boening ran out to win this raggedly played affair.
Appleton fell to 1-3 and no longer has a chance to win. Van Boening will play Jayson Shaw tomorrow – probably twice as it looks like both are going to make it to the finals.
The Score:
VVVVVV – AA – V – AA – VV – AAA – V
MATCH 11
Jayson Shaw 10 – Corey Deuel 5
Corey Deuel missed a tough shot in the opening game and Shaw ran out. In game 2 Shaw was forced to play for a bank on his key ball and he slammed it home and pocketed the 8 to complete a break and run. After Deuel scratched on the break, Shaw and out again to take a 3-0 lead, completing Act 1 of this 3 act play.
The curtain opened for Act 2, Shaw broke dry, and Deuel ran out. Deuel broke and ran out and now trailed, 3-2. In game 6 Shaw played poor position, missed a bank, and Deuel ran out, then broke and ran again. In game 8 Shaw got a bad roll on a cluster break and sold out when attempting a safety. Deuel ran a difficult layout. Act 2, and The Corey Deuel Show, ended with him leading the always dangerous Jayson Shaw, 5 games to 3.
The third act began with Deuel missing a tough jacked up back cut into the side. Shaw quickly ran out, the broke and ran out to tie the score at 5-5.
In game 11 Deuel came up empty on his break and Shaw ran out, then Eagle Eye sank the 8 on the break. Suddenly Shaw was leading 7-5. In the next frame Deuel undercut a delicate cut into the side in an attempt to limit the cue ball’s roll and Shaw ran out. He followed that with another break and run to reach the hill leading 9-5. In the final game Deuel executed a power break out but missed a thin cut and Shaw mopped up the open table to complete a 7 game run to the win.
Deuel is now 2-2, and will play John Morra tomorrow. His record in games won-lost is 29-37, so he is not in good shape to win a tiebreaker and advance to the finals even if he beat Morras. Shaw is now 3-1 and he will make the finals if he beats Shane Van Boening tomorrow. He’s also won 37 games while losing only 21 – so he will likely be in great shape to make the finals even if he loses in match to Van Boening.
The Score:
SSS – DDDDD - SSSSSSS
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
2016 ACCU-STATS MAKE IT HAPPEN 8-BALL INVITATIONAL
Nov. 17-20 - Sandcastle Billiards - Edison NJ
MATCH 10
John MORRA 10 – Darren APPLETON 5
Appleton was the consensus favorite, but Morra showed that he came to play when he won the lag and broke and ran the first rack. After Appleton missed a long opening shot in game 2, Morra made a few balls, played safe, then ran 5 and out on the strength of a super position route to the 8-ball.
Morra’s strong play continued as he broke and ran game 3, ran out again after Appleton broke dry, then broke and ran for the third to in 3 tries to jump out to a 5-0 lead.
Appleton struggled with his break throughout most of the match, but he did manage to get on the board with a break and run in game 6. Then, despite hooking himself on a routine position play, he won after Morra played a non-safe safety. The score was now 5-2 in Morra’s favor.
In game 8 Appleton made nothing on his break and Morra ran out – but he returned the favor by breaking dry in game 9 and Appleton ran the rack to close the gap to 6-3. But the momentum swung decisively in Morra’s favor when Darren scratched on his break and watched the young Canadian run out. Morra extended his lead to 8-3 by breaking and running out for the fourth time.
The two traded break and runs in games 12 and 13. Game 14 was an 11 turn marathon filled with mistakes and safeties – the last of which earned Appleton ball-in-hand and a practice playout, which he quickly cleared.
In what proved to be the final game Morra play bad shape on his key ball, but he sent the cue ball three rails around the table through traffic, setting us a jacked up lefthanded thin cut, which he coolly sliced in for the win. Morra is now 2-2 while Appleton is at 1-2.
The Score
MMMMM – AA – M – A – MM – A – M – A – M
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
2016 ACCU-STATS MAKE IT HAPPEN 8-BALL INVITATIONAL
Nov. 17-20 - Sandcastle Billiards - Edison NJ
MATCH 9
Rodney MORRIS 10 - Jayson SHAW 7
Rodney Morris entered this match with a record of 0-3 and was, according to Danny Diliberto, struggling to get used to a low deflection shaft. Meanwhile, Jason Shaw had won one match 10-0, was 2-0 after beating 8-ball wizard Darren Appleton, 10-6. And, after Morris won the first 2 games of this match, Shaw took the next 6 to lead 6-2. So at this point, you could have gone for a sandwich figuring that this one was over.
You have probably heard that coming back from a big lead is all but impossible in the alternate break format, but don’t tell that to Morris because he rattled off 7 straight wins to reach the hill with a 9-6 lead. Shaw did break his winning streak with a break and run, but Morris then closed out the match with a B&R of his own to score the biggest upset of the nine matches played.
Morris won a grand and a measure of pride in beating Shaw. He also made friends the other 4 players, who were fearing that Shaw was about to put a lock on a place in the finals. But now things are a bit more interesting as three players are at 2-1 and Appleton is at 1-1.
Now back to our match. In game 1 Morris missed an easy shot, Shaw failed to get shape, missed, and Morris ran out. Morris then ran out when Shaw broke, dry, then Shaw ran out when Morris came up empty, so the score was 2-1 in Shaw’s favor.
Shaw broke and ran out, then ran out after Morris missed an easy shot. Shaw won again when Morris blundered on his key ball by hooking himself. Morris then scratched on his break and Shaw ran out, then Shaw broke and ran out to take a 6-2 lead. At this point he had the momentum, Morris was making mistakes, and it looked to be all but over. But this is POOL, so we should have known better.
In game 9 Shaw missed an easy shot and Morris ran out, giving him a glimmer of hope. Shaw then scratched on the break and Morris ran to a super tough cross table cut on the 8-ball – and he made it! He now trailed 6-4.
Morris broke and ran out in game 11, then ran out after Shaw missed a long cut down the side rail. Shaw missed another long cut shot and Morris executed a super tough run to perfection to tie the score at 6-6. Game on!
In game 13 The Rocket broke and ran out again, then ran out after Shaw scratched on the break. The 15th game was a C Player Special as both players made numerous mistakes before Morris “won” this battle of attrition.
Shaw did manage to break and run, but Morris then closed out the match with his third break in run in his final four attempts to win the match.
The Score
MM – SSSSSS – MMMMMMM – S – M
