Shane Van Boening (Erwin Dionisio)
With an undefeated run through the field at the Turning Stone Classic XXXIII on January 9th – 12th, Shane Van Boening become only the third player to earn six Turning Stone Classic titles.
Van Boening’s toughest challenge in this event actually came late on day three, when “The Giant Killer” Jeremy Sossei had him in a 7-2 hole. As Van Boening has done countless times in the past though, he took his game to yet another level and came back to win seven of the next eight racks for the 9-8 win. “He has a propensity for making these comebacks on me” said Sossei. “did the same thing a few months ago at the Steinway Classic. I had him buried but he came back and beat me hill hill there too.
The close call with Sossei might have been a wakeup call for Van Boening, as he came out strong on day four and scored a dominating 9-5 win over Jayson Shaw. The match was tied at 4-4 early, before Van Boening won five of the next six racks for the win.
Van Boening then followed that up with a 9-2 win over Greece’s Alex Kazakis in the hot-seat match. Kazakis enjoyed a 2-1 lead before Shane won eight straight racks for the hot-seat.
The semi-final match was fairly anti-climactic as James Aranas was feeling under the weather and did not play up to his normal speed in a 9-1 loss to Kazakis.
If Kazakis, and the fans in attendance, needed any more proof of just how dangerous Van Boening can be when he gets a head of steam, the finals drove that message home. Kazakis fought out to a 6-3 lead in the extended race to thirteen, and never moved another bead. Van Boening got comfortable at the table and won the next ten racks for his second straight Turning Stone Classic title.
The win brings Van Boening to six Turning Stone Classic titles, tied with Jayson Shaw and Johnny Archer. Van Boening and Shaw have now teamed up to win ten of the last twelve Turning Stone Classic events, and both players are expected to be in attendance at the next running of the event, on September 3 – 6, to take their shot at their seventh titles.
