Miller goes undefeated to win season opener of J. Pechauer Northeast Women’s Tour

Adopting the idea that ‘a picture is worth a thousand words,’ we offer the graphic representation of what Briana Miller has accomplished on the J. Pechauer Northeast Women’s Tour (JPNEWT) over the past two years, during which time, she has also been the tour’s director. Last year’s accomplishments are in the top row (l to r) and the year before, the bottom row.

Briana Miller

‘Split’ means there was not a final match. And ‘no,’ we don’t know what happened last May. Translated, it all means that Miller has won 40% of the JPNEWT events (14 of 21, not including ‘splits’) in which she has competed over the past two years. The chart does not include (though the percentage calculation does) that she won this past weekend’s (March 9-10), 2024 season opener, going undefeated at the $750-added event which drew 32 entrants to Shooter’s Family Billiards in Wayne, NJ.

In the four matches that preceded her appearance in the hot seat match (30 games), Miller gave up just two racks; one to Jenn Pederson and another to Bianca Martinez in the first two rounds. She then shut out both Linda Cheung and, in a winners’ side semifinal, Melissa Jenkins. 

Miller’s eventual opponent in the hot seat match, Rachel Lang, had something of a ‘tougher row to hoe’ as she opened her campaign in a double-hill battle against Shuang Gao. She survived that to down Roseann Daw 7-3 before Joann Mason Parker challenged her, double hill, in a winners’ side quarterfinal. She advanced again to up give up a single rack to Giovanna Napolitano in the other winners’ side semifinal. 

Lang chalked up more than twice as many racks against Miller in the hot seat match than all of Miller’s previous opponents combined. It was one of those almost-double-hill matches (7-5) that sent Lang off to the semifinals, leaving Miller in the hot seat. If there were a generic, physical JPNEWT ‘hot seat’ – a director’s chair, for example –  they could create one with Miller’s name on it and it would be right, most of the time.

Jenkins came over to the loss side and picked up Parker, who’d followed her narrow loss to Miller with two straight shutouts, over Judie Wilson and Jay Pass.

Napolitano drew Kia Burwell, who’d been sent to the loss side by Bianca Martinez in the opening round and worked her way through five matches that included the recent elimination of Carol Clark 7-2 and Linda Cheung 7-3.

Parker defeated Jenkins 7-1, as Napolitano sent Burwell home 7-4. Parker then defeated Napolitano 7-3 in the quarterfinals, before suffering the same 7-3 fate at the hands of Lang in the semifinals.

Miller tightened the racks-against screws in the finals. She gave up two less (3) than she’d given up in the hot seat match, completing her undefeated run to claim her 14^th JPNEWT title and her first of the new season. 

Miller, in her role as tour director, thanked the ownership and staff at Shooters Family Billiards for their hospitality, as well as title sponsor J. Pechauer Custom Cues, Fort Worth Billiards Superstore, InTheBox Sportswear, PA Pro-Am Pool, Mezz Cues and George Hammerbacher (Advanced Pool Instructor). 

For its next stop, the JPNEWT will return to the city/town of Somersworth, NH (it’s officially recognized as both) on the state’s southeastern border with Maine. The $1,000-added event, scheduled for the weekend of April 6-7, will be hosted by Buster’s Billiards in Somersworth. 

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