Dennis Orcollo (Photo courtesy of Dave Thomson - Mediumpool.com)
Diamond Derby City Classic XXII, January 24-Feb.2, 2020
Caesars Southern Indiana, Elizabeth, IN
David Thomson
DIAMOND BANK POOL CHAMPIONSHIP
Short Rack. Race to 3.
451 began. At last accounting, 1.
“Robocop” Robs Banks!
That’s all there is to say. Dennis Orcollo robbed everyone who dared approach his table. He was unbeaten through a field of 451. He never needed his buy-back option to secure his 2nd Diamond Derby City Classic Championship.
There were 3 left. Dennis, Billy, and that spunky kid form Detroit we introduced to you yesterday, Evan Lunda. We can also add humble and calm under pressure to his description.
These characteristics, perhaps, attributed to Evan having a helluva tourney. In closing the day, he had given Filler his first loss and thwarted last year’s runner-up Omar Al Shaheen’s aspirations.
It was Billy who had finally handed Evan his first loss.
Billy’s journey included eliminating three time Champion John Brumback, And Filler, Shaw, Shane and Alex, just to name few.
So there were 3. Evan drew the bye, therefore, Billy had to play Dennis. Dennis had a buy-back so, If Billy won, Dennis would use that option while Billy would play Evan.
The winner of that match would then play Dennis for the title. That’s the long version, you know, the result which could keep the Accu-Stats’ video crew up ’til dawn.
The short version is, if Dennis would beat Billy, then Evan, he would take the title.
And, so it began, race to three for $16k!
Billy got an opening. He blasted 4, then nailed the elusive one to take the first rack. 1-0
Thorpe was not intimidated. He was in full throttle.
Dennis, in Robocop mode, broke and drilled 4, then 1, and it was 1-1
Game 3, in almost a repeat performance, Orcollo ran 4, and it was 2-1.
Game 4: Dennis ran 3. Billy ran 3 and pocketed a hanger that sent the cue ball, “safe,” near the top rail. Dennis jacked up, aimed, and speared in the re-spotted Cyclop off the short rail. His shape on his fifth required orb proved fatal for Billy. In 40 minutes, Dennis was in the Final.
Evan, as he has said, gets, “Fired up competing with the ‘heavy hitters.”
But, this was a whole new ball-game. The environment was new to him: He was, now, on the big stage with the “heat” of Accu-Stats TV lights, LIVE on a world-wide stream, and of course facing Dennis the Menace…in murder-mode.
Frankly, Orcollo wasn’t in quite the same form demonstrated against Billy. None-the-less, he didn’t miss much. Lunda, on the other hand, was off quite a bit. On his tight, short rail banks, he should have been calling triples. He didn’t manage a game. At 3-0, in 37 minutes, it was trophy time.
Dennis had obliterated their bank accounts so quickly that they were last seen in search of an ATM! That would be Diamond. Billy got $5,350 and Evan received $8,000 for 2nd. Dennis deposited $16,000 for first!
Play continues at NOON Wednesday. 9-Ball is in the mix, too.
See it LIVE from the Accu-Stats TV Arena on the DIAMOND 9’ Pro Am.
Visit accu-stats.com
DIAMOND ONE POCKET CHAMPIONSHIP
365 entries, up 20 from last year!
Crafty, and very creative, Corey Deuel kicked off the Accu-Stats TV Arena productions of the Diamond One Pocket Championship by truly manifesting his craft in the craftiest of all pool disciplines, One Pocket.
The closing game in his 3-0 annihilation of Dennis Orcollo showed just how creative Corey is. No one knows what he is thinking. To see all the kisses and caroms he articulated, Accu-Stats director Pat Fleming commented, “We had to utilize so many instant replays just to see what he’d done.”
Dennis, now down 2-0, had attempted an always tricky carom, back-cut kind of-a-thing, into his pocket. Two balls got in the way of each other and the rack, which should have been his, was wide open.
Corey got 5 and, in an attempt at opening a few more balls, his shape was obstructed by an inconsiderate, roaming orb. End of run, no clear shot at his hole. Not for crafty Corey it wasn’t. He decided on caroming a ball off another–that was sitting 2 feet from the pocket!
“He bet the game on that,” was announced from the commentary booth.
Never a doubt, he landed perfectly for his last two balls.
Deuel had decided that the odds were with him to make that carom, and that he would win the match from there. He was, wisely, all offense.
You can be sure we’ll get this DVD. “How’d he do-dat?”
Danny Olson, left the Accu-Stats TV Arena 10 minutes after his one-sided defeat by daunting dualist, 2012 Diamond Southern Classic Banks and One Pocket Champion Justin Hall.
Danny was not having his best day. He then faced Jayson Shaw who was empowered by his BIG Foot title.
One-Pocket, isn’t Jayson’s game of choice tho,’ he is vastly improved. He doesn’t quite have the “moving” skills yet, but his pin-point position play, compounded by his fire power, compensate admirably.
Years ago, when Jayson first entered the DCC One Pocket event, Danny Diliberto had asked him, “Do you play One Pocket?”
“No. I’ll just run out,” he answered naively.
That’s exactly what he did, to Olson–3 times! In 16 minutes he was registering his win at the tournament desk.
Shaw’s self confessed secret is that he’s been working 8 hours a day on his game. Isn’t that a normal day’s work for a fair day’s pay?
In addition, he smashed Dee Adkins’, recently mentioned, fastest Bank’s match record by about 10 minutes.
Mika wasn’t having his best DCC day either. He’d traded strokes with Tyler Styer to end up at the buy-back booth.
Then, speaking of “I’ll just run out,” he got down 2-0 to Joshua Filler. “So I started to grind him, got even, and then made a simple position error to hand him the match!” He’s now practicing 9-Ball.
In other action, Tony Chohan didn’t escape Pagulayan’s prowess. Django got Cliff Joyner, who’s gone, and Lunda sent Olinger to the booth at 3-1.
A funny thing happened with that match. Lunda had gotten distracted and was gazing at action on an adjacent table. Olinger was composing a sweet run-out when he ran afoul of an obscuring ball. Making a valiant attempt, he missed. That left 2 balls hanging in both their pockets.
Evan made a gallant effort at caroming on one of Alex’s balls while cross-banking the other to combo a ball in his pocket. His soft stroke was too soft and it hung in the lip.
“Why did you do that?” Alex questioned. “You were straight in on your ball.”
“I didn’t see it,” laughed laid-back Lunda.
Olinger joked, “I thought I was gonna learn a new move.”
DIAMOND 9-BALL CHAMPIONSHIP
Players meeting was at noon, Wednesday.
Don’t miss a stroke at accu-stats.com
Accu-Stats thanks its Arena Sponsors: Diamond Billiards, Simonis Cloth, Cyclop Balls, Cuetec Cues, Cue and Case, MEZZ Cues, McDermott Cues, National Billiard Academy.
