Gregorio Sanchez and BJ Ussery
Taylor goes undefeated to claim Women’s title
It was a little like discovering that a group of your favorite musicians had decided to get their band back together and head out on the road again. It’s been nearly six years since Ozzy Reynolds turned his Action Pool Tour (APT) over to “Tiger” Baker and Kris Wylie and moved out to Las Vegas to become the owner and CEO of CueSports International. In the interim, the Action Pool Tour, under the leadership of Baker and Wylie, continued its regularly-scheduled series of events, while other Mid-Atlantic and Southern states-based pool tours emerged, which, inevitably, cut into the attendance figures of the APT. The group of regularly-competing APT members continued to appear, though not nearly as often as they had during Reynolds’ reign as the tour director, primarily because they had gained a much wider field of competition than was available during Reynolds’ reign as APT’s tour director. It’s the downside of normally healthy competition, in any endeavor, but it was balanced by the fact that while a lot of the original ‘band’ were competing in multiple other tours, Baker and Wylie succeeded in boosting general attendance on the APT by 120%. And then, COVID happened, which affected everybody.
Recently, Baker and Wylie picked up a major sponsor, Tiger Products and the first event of this ‘new’ Tiger Tour, the 2023 VA State 10-Ball Championships, held this past weekend (August 26-27) at Diamond Billiards in Midlothian, VA, brought out a number of the original APT ‘band’ members together to include BJ Ussery (who went undefeated to defend the title he’d won in 2022), Brandon Shuff (3rd), and Mike Davis, Jr. (4th), among others. The event also drew a few recognizeable junior competitors like Joey Tate, Nathan Childress and Brent Worth.
As a consequence of the sponsorship and contributions from Baker and Wylie, the new Tiger Tour offered money-added for the first time in the former APT’s existence. In spite of the fact that the posted amounts – $1,500 for the Open event and $500 for the Women’s event – were offered conditional to levels of attendance, the tour added the full amount to the Open event, which drew 31 entrants and the Women’s event, which drew nine.
In races to 7 on the winners’ side, BJ Ussery’s undefeated path to his successful defense of the title went through Joe McLaughlin (1), Steve Preskitt (0) and Nathan Childress (5) to arrive at a winners’ side semifinal against Tate. In the meantime, Venezuela’s Gregorio Sanchez, whose most recent appearance in AZBilliards’ database followed his 3rd place finish in the Pro Division of the annual George “Ginky” Sansouci Memorial in May, got by Ace Agalora (1), Francis Fernandez (3) and Brent Worth (4) to draw Shuff in the other winners’ side semifinal.
Ussery and Tate locked up in a double-hill fight that in the final rack, was shaping up to be a win for Tate. Shooting at the 8-ball, with a clear path to all three left, the 8-ball failed to drop. Ussery stepped up, finished the rack and advanced to the hot seat match. Sanchez joined him after sending Shuff to the loss side 7-4. Ussery claimed the hot seat 7-5.
On the loss side, in races to 6, Tate had the misfortune of running into Mike Davis, who’d followed his winners’ side quarterfinal loss to Shuff with a double-hill win over Alf-Regy Lid and the elimination of Brent Worth 6-2. Shuff drew Nathan Childress, who followed his winners’ side, quarterfinal loss to Ussery with a double-hill defeat of David Hunt and shutout over Shaun Swindell.
Two junior competitors versus two veterans of the APT, now Tiger Tour ‘band.’ The veterans prevailed, advancing to a rematch against each other in the quarterfinals; Davis, downing Tate, and Shuff eliminating Childress, both 6-4. Shuff won the rematch against Davis by the same 6-4 score, only to be eliminated by Sanchez 6-2 in the semifinals.
Ussery must have thought, watching those semifinals, that giving up just two racks was a good idea. That was all he gave up to Sanchez, winning the VA State 10-Ball Championship title (8-2) for the second year in a row.
Katie Bischoff and Liz Taylor
Taylor climbs a ladder to win her third attempt at VA State 10-Ball title
She finished 3rd in 2021 (her best recorded earnings year, to date), behind Kristina Tkach and Lisa Cossette. She was runner-up to Precilia Kinsley last year and this year, Liz Taylor won it. She battled Katie Bischoff twice, winners’ side semifinal and finals – to claim the 2023 Women’s VA State 10-Ball Championship title.
Taylor was one of the seven women in the 9-entrant field to receive an opening round bye. She advanced to the hot seat match, following victories over Courtney Hairfield 6-1 and Bischoff 6-2 in a winners’ side semifinal. Reene Driskill, in the meantime (also with an opening round bye), downed Reagan Wallace and Pamela Perry, both 6-4, to challenge Taylor for the hot seat. Taylor gave up just a single rack to Driskill, claimed it and waited on Bischoff’s return.
On the loss side, Bischoff and Perry met in the quarterfinals, once Bischoff had defeated Soo Emmett 5-2 and Perry had eliminated Meghan Buchanan 5-3. Bischoff and Perry battled to double hill in those quarterfinals before Bischoff advanced to defeat Driskill 5-2 in the semifinals.
Their matchup in the finals was a repeat of their winners’ side semifinal; same score, same result. Taylor claimed the VA State Women’s 10-Ball Championship title.
Tour directors “Tiger” Baker and Kris Wylie thanked the ownership and staff at Diamond Billiards for their hospitality, along with new title sponsor Tiger Products. The next stop on the new Tiger Pool Tour, scheduled for Sept. 30 will be a $1,000-added (guaranteed) Amateur event to be hosted by Q Master Billiards in Virginia Beach, VA.
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