Lewis goes undefeated in South Carolina

Joel (owner of GJAYS), Mike Basha, Shannon Daulton, & Scott Lewis

The weekend of March 14-15, 2009, the Great Southern Billiard Tour hosted a $1500 added South Carolina Amateur at GJAYS in Inman, SC. The 93 player field was a record  for the tour that is now having a/b amateur 9-ball tournaments in the southeast. The players have exuded an overwhelming reponse for these events. Tournament director, Shannon Daulton stated, "This format seems to be a good recipe for success!! The tour continues to grow and  we are thankful to all of our sponsors, room owners, and players for their continued support."
 
 After a long day of play on Saturday, the six matches on the winners side were as follows:
Ray Benish vs Dustin Gosnell
 
The six matches on the one-loss side were:
Matt Jones vs. Richard West
 
On Sunday, Benish made easy work of Gosnell (9-3) and after a double hill thriller  Branham sent Cox to the left side by a score of (7-6). Roberts over Mancini (10-6), and Lewis over Basha (10-2).
 
On the one-loss side, Dover ousted Chavis (7-4), Twitched eliminated Thomas in another double hill match. West over Johnes (7-4), and Reed over Smith. This set up matches for:
Dover vs Gosnell - Dover 7-2
Twitchen vs Cox 7-6
West vs Mancini 7-5
Smith vs. Basha 7-4
 
Players that chalked up wins on the winner side final four were Branham over Benish (7-6) and Lewis over Roberts (10-7). This set up a hot seat match between Branham and Lewis. Lewis sailed to the finals with a win over Branham (10-4).
 
Meanwhile, on the one loss side, Basha and Roberts were both fighting for a spot in the finals against Lewis. Basha had wins over West (7-5), Benish (7-4), and then eliminated Roberts (7-6), and then gave Branham a third place finish by a score of (7-5).
 
The true double elimination finals would have Lewis in total control from the lag. Scott played very confidently not giving Basha many chances at the table. Lewis took the victory by a score of 10-2 while Basha had to settle for second.
 
The tour would like to thank GJAYS and the staff for their hospitality.. We had a great time and really enjoyed the tournament. Look for another event in the fall of 2009.