Brian Honoway and Rae Evans
With all of their host locations shut down by Covid, the Arizona Women’s Billiard Tour hadn’t ran an event since their tour opener at Bullshooters in Phoenix back in March. Tour staff worked with Thor Skogan at Main Street Billiards in Mesa though, and the traditional season finale, a Jack and Jill Scotch Doubles Event, was able to be saved and scheduled for November 14th.
In less than 24 hours, the event was full with a field of 24 teams back in October. Changes in pool room occupancy restrictions then allowed staff to increase the field to 32 teams, with those eight extra spots being filled from an already full waiting list of tour members. “The ladies were itching to get out and play after the past year we had and it showed. “ said tour director Junior Flores.
When the event got underway, four teams quickly separated themselves from the pack. The winner’s side came down to Rebecca Wagner & John Gottlieb, Cathy Kelley & Bud Aiello, Rae Evans & Brian Honoway, and Maria Simonson & Bryan Bach. Evans & Honoway defeated Simonson & Bach in a hill-hill match, while Wagner & Gottlieb beat Kelley & Aiello in a slightly less stressful 7-3 match. The hot-seat would then go to Wagner & Gottlieb in a tough 7-5 match.
The team to beat on the left side of the board was Leandrea Gaff & Tony Scerca. After a loss to Wagner & Gottlieb in the third round, Gaff & Scerca won four straight matches to earn their spot in the semi-finals against Evans & Honoway. The loss in the hot-seat match did not dampen Evans & Honoway’s drive. It appeared to motivate them even more. “We were pretty riled up after losing the hot-seat match” said Evans. “It definitely made us catch a gear and fight for the win.” They quickly raced to a 3-0 lead and controlled things on the way to a 6-1 win to earn their rematch with Wagner & Gottlieb in the finals.
The final match was an extended single race to nine and it was Evans & Honoway who cruised to a 9-4 win for first place and their first AWBT win as a couple. “I expected it to be tough and was surprised at how well we played together” said Evans. “Getting to win an AWBT event with Brian was great” she continued.
Tour Director Junior Flores commented on how nice it was to see the tour back together after the months of lockdown. “Lots of laughing and hanging out, with some competitive pool as well. Looks like everyone had a great time. Let’s hope 2021 we can start the tour back up stronger than ever.”, he commented. Flores expressed his thanks to everyone that helped with the event. “Big thanks to Thor Skogan for hosting this event and all the staff for taking care of us! Let’s give it up to Gil Franco, Cathy Hamilton-Kelley, & Cheryl Bower Timonen for helping run a smooth tournament.”, he said.
