James DeGiosafatto came from the one-loss side to meet and defeat Ryan McCarthy in the finals of the Tri-State tour stop on Saturday, July 25. The $500-added, C-D handicapped event drew 25 entrants to Comet Billiards in Parsippany, NJ.
From among the winners' side final four, McCarthy got into the hot seat on that Saturday with a 6-4 win over Dave Shlemperis and a 6-5 win over Duane Dailey, who had survived a hill-hill battle versus Michael Rodrigues.
DeGiosafatto, in the meantime, who'd been sent to the one-loss side by Dailey, was mowing them down. He defeated Antonio Navarro 6-3, and Rick Shelhouse 7-4 to face Shlemperis. T.J. Smithers advanced to meet Rodrigues with 6-3 wins over Ed Miller and Duane Toney. It was Smithers taking the next step, defeating Rodrigues 6-2, as DeGiosafatto was decisively eliminating Shlemperis 6-1.
With four down and two to go to get back to the finals, DeGiosafatto struggled a bit in the quarterfinals against Smithers, but held on to win that hill-hill battle. It offered him a second chance against the opponent who'd sent him west, Dailey, in the semifinals. He took advantage and defeated Dailey 6-3.
McCarthy, having waited for a couple of hours, as his opponent in the finals advanced, struggled a bit against the man fresh off six straight wins. He stayed in the match until the end, but it was DeGiosafatto, who took the lead and finished it at 8-6.
DeGiosafatto wins from the west on Tri-State Tour
July 28, 2009