Mike Figueroa and John Shatell let their only meeting stand as the result of the March 13 stop on the Tri-State Tour. Figueroa won their hot seat match, and together, they opted out of playing a final, splitting the top two prizes. The $1,000-added event drew 26 entrants to Rockaway Billiards in Rockaway, NJ.
Prior to their hot seat match, Figueroa had sent Sal Rinchiuso to the loss side 6-2. Shatell had done likewise to Jerry Ritzer 7-6. Figueroa claimed the hot seat with what proved to be his final victory 8-7.
On the loss side, Rinchiuso picked up Bob Toomey, who'd shut out Rick Nowicki and defeatEd Martin Carducci 6-2 to reach him. Ritzer drew William Donofrio, who'd eliminated Steve Kaminow 7-5 and survived a double hill match against Fred Garcia.
Ritzer advanced to the quarterfinals 7-4 over Donofrio, and was joined by Rinchiuso, who'd defeated Toomey, double hill. Ritzer earned himself a re-match against Shatell with an 8-4 win in those quarterfinals.
Shatell and Ritzer repeated the scores and result of their winners' side semifinal match, with Shatell advancing to the finals for his second shot against Figueroa. They opted out of that final match, awarding Figueroa the official event victory.
Tour representatives thanked the ownership and staff at Rockaway Billiards, as well as sponsors John Bender Cues, Sterling-Gaming, Ozone Billiards, Qpod Cues, Kamui Tips, Phil Capelle, BlueBook Publishing, and Human Kinetics
