Introducing 2011 BCAPL Singles and Scotch Doubles Champions

Tuesday, May 17th at the 35th BCAPL National 8-Ball Championships at the Riviera Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas was all about the semis and finals in both the singles and scotch doubles divisions. The best of the best in each division focused to keep their stroke mechanics and nerves in place as hundreds of spectators watched who would take the top spots in each event.

Runaway Matches

From the 381 ladies, Jennifer Kraber of Austin, Texas (league 621) went undefeated to become the 2011 BCAPL Women's Open Champion. Her lopsided finals match against Josie Leroy of Newberg, Oregon (league 154 & 432) ended in a score of 4-0. Over the three days of singles play, Kraber only gave up eight games in her ten matches. Kraber, a regular top finisher on the OB Cues regional tour, also had a 7th place finish in the masters scotch doubles with long-time partner James Davis, Sr. of Manor, Texas.

In the BCAPL Men's Masters finals, Harvey Shognosh of Forrest, Ontario, Canada (league 601) also went undefeated through the 45 player field of top notch players to best Gustavo Correa of Houston, Texas (league 191 & 1073) with a final score of 7-4. Both players delivered strong performances in a near flawless finals match for spectators.

Scotch Doubles Madness

It was an all Arizona BCAPL Open Scotch Doubles finale. Of the 338 entries, the Mesa team of Jesse Renteria (league 293 & 526) and Bernie Store (league 293) went undefeated to beat the team of Chris Paradowski and Lois Schmitt from Tucson (both league 24). It was Store and Renteria's first tournament playing together. "I've known this guy for 12 years and never played a game of scotch together," said Store.

Of the 71 BCAPL Masters Scotch Doubles teams, John Maikke and Dana Aft from Atlanta, Georgia (both league 875) came through the b-side to defeat the Wisconsin team of Robert Hovick (league 348) and Kelly Birmingham (league 807) in a two-set finals score of 5-1, 4-3. It was run-out scotch doubles pool at its finest. Every game in both sets was finished in one inning or less.

Double-Dippers

In the 112 player BCAPL Women's Senior division, Shawn Modelo from Antioch, California (league 322) came through to redeem herself in the finals. After losing the driver seat match to Lois Schmitt of Tucson, Arizona, Modelo was came back with a vengeance. She took the first set handily, 4-0. Schmitt would put up a bigger fight in the second set. When the match was hill-hill, Modelo hooked herself on the 8-ball and nearly kicked it in. Schmitt missed her opening shot and left a shot and the win for Modelo.

Meanwhile one table over, 18-year-old Danny Olson from Brookings, South Dakota (league 953) was grinding it out. After losing his first match of the new BCAPL Men's Advanced division, he came through the 100-player field to double-dip local Las Vegas favorite Chris C. Akey (league 769) 6-2, 6-2.  Olson won the men's players member division in 2010.

Of the 283 entries in the popular BCAPL Men's Senior division, Bill Skinner of Aurora, Colorado (league 671) double rolled through the finals match against Bill McCoy (league 187) from Harrisburg, Pennsylvania 5-1, 5-1. After losing 5-3 to McCoy earlier in the tournament, Skinner was on a mission and the mission was accomplished.

Hill-Hill Mania

Veteran 8-ball player Jolene Herum from River Falls, Wisconsin (league 234 & 996) cruised undefeated through the 39-player BCAPL Women's Advanced division. Meanwhile Tacoma, Washington's Cindy Sliva (league 154) lost her first match and came back through 10 rounds including a tough hill-hill match with Junior National Champion Liz Lovely to meet Herum in the finals. Sliva was ahead 4-3 but was unable to capitalize. At hill-hill, Herum broke and ran to close out the set 5-4.

In the BCAPL Women's Master finals, it was a case of different division déjà vu. Of the 27 entries, Amanda Lampert from Frisco, Texas (league 1034) lost her first match 7-5 to Arizona's Susan Williams (league 293 & 1094), only to fight her way to the finals against Canadian Jana Montour (league 497). At hill-hill, Montour broke and ran to take the set and the title. Final score was 7-6.

Robert Green from Bellaire, Texas (league 151 & 406) went undefeated to best Bill Dunsmore of Lutz, Florida in the finals of the men's super seniors (age 65+). At hill-hill, Dunsmore ran down to his key ball and was left with a tricky bank which he missed. Green methodically ran off his balls to claim the match 5-4 and the super seniors title.

In a hill-hill spectacular BCAPL Men's Open finale of the evening, Mike Alonzo from Pasadena, Texas (league 502, 1073 & 152) defeated 16-year-old phenom Chris Byers from Tualatin, Oregon (league 432). From a field of 1,328 players, the two competitors drew a packed house of spectators. The teenager is no stranger to the winner's circle. Byer has a recent runner-up finish in the Western BCA Championships. In a race to five, Byers lost hill-hill to Alonzo earlier in the tournament but took the first set of the finals 5-4. In the second set, Alonzo miscued at 2-1, allowing Byers to tie up the score. The players exchanged runouts until it was hill-hill when an unfortunate scratch by Byers allowed Alonzo a chance at the table. He flew out of his seat at the opportunity to run off each ball for the championship.

Wednesday, May 18th is the start of the 8-Ball team competitions with 6 divisions and a total of 904 teams playing in the "Greatest Pool Tournament in the World." Additionally, day three of the 3rd (2011) U.S. Open 10-Ball Championship, also produced and ran by CueSports International (CSI), gets underway Wednesday morning with 96 of the best players from 8 countries vying for a piece of the $73,000 prize fund.

For the complete brackets and scores of the 3rd U.S. Open 10-Ball Championship visit the CSI CueSports Tournament System at www.ctsondemand.com. The Action Report (TAR) is providing PPV live streaming at www.theactionreport.com.

The events are sponsored by Mueller Recreational Products, McDermott Cues, Diamond Billiard Products, Simonis, Aramith, the Magic Rack, Billiards Digest and BreakRAK with BCAPL tournament direction by Bad Boy Billiard Productions and U.S. Open 10-Ball tournament direction by CSI Director of Rules and Referees Bill Stock with Ken Shuman from California and John Leyman from New York.

CueSports International is dedicated to creating more choices for all players. CSI is the parent company of the BCA Pool League and the USA Pool League. CSI also produces independent events such as the U.S. Bar Table Championships, the Jay Swanson Memorial, the U.S. Open One Pocket Championship and the U.S. Open 10-Ball Championship. Visit www.playcsipool.com, www.playbca.com and www.playusapool.com for more information about CSI and its divisions.