Stephanie Goens, Cue Time Owner Tom Kitchen and Teruko Cucculelli
Teruko Cucculelli went undefeated to win the MissCues Regional Ladies Tour on the weekend of September 10-11, but not without a loss-side challenge from Stephanie Goens, who chalked up four straight in the west bracket to challenge her in the finals. The $500-added event drew 10 entrants to Cue Time Billiards in Bowling Green, KY.
The field of 10 created only two matches in the opening round, and the finalists were involved in both of them. Cucculelli got by Christina Hansen 7-2, while Goens defeated Tonya Wiser 7-5. In the second round, Cucculelli sent Jessica Human to the loss-side 7-4 and moved among the winners' side final four to face Bianca Tundo. In that same second round, Melody Kuty sent Goens west 7-5 and drew Samantha Patton.
Patton advanced to the hot seat match with a 7-4 victory over Kuty, and was joined by Cucculelli, who had shut out Tundo. Cucculelli then sent Patton to a showdown against Goens in the semifinals with a 7-3 victory that left her in the hot seat.
Goens was awarded a bye in her opening, loss-side match and moved on to face Hansen. She prevailed in a double hill battle against her and picked up Tundo, coming over from the final four winners. Kuty drew Human, who'd defeated Reni Rose 7-1 to reach her.
Once they'd downed Tundo and Kuty, both 7-4, Goens and Human squared off in the quarterfinals. Goens then made short work of Human, allowing her only a single rack, before turning to face Patton in the semifinals. For the second time, Goens found herself locked up in a double hill match, and for the second time, she prevailed.
When the two met in the finals, Goens had already won more matches on the loss-side (one more) than Cucculelli had won getting into the hot seat. In spite of the momentum of four straight, two of them double hill, Goens couldn't get by Cucculelli, who allowed her only two racks in the single set, race-to-9 that completed her undefeated weekend.
