Shane McMinn took two out of three against Skyler Woodward to capture the Midwest 9-Ball Tour's Bar Table event, held on the weekend of March 8-9. Briana Miller went undefeated to claim the Ladies title. Hosted by Break Billiards in Cahokia, IL, the $2,300-added main event drew 74 entrants, while the $100-added ladies tournament drew 16.
McMinn and Woodward met first in the winners' side final. McMinn had survived a double hill match against Chuck Raulston, while Woodward was busy downing Gary Lutman 9-5. Woodward then took the first of his three against McMinn 9-5 and sat in the hot seat to await his return.
Raulston defeated Frost 9-6, as Lutman was eliminating Daniels 9-4. Raulston then squeaked by Lutman in the quarterfinals 9-8, before McMinn took him down in the semifinals 9-2. McMinn forced a second set in the finals against Woodward with a 9-6 opening set, and though Woodward would force the second set to a single, deciding game, McMinn hung on to win it.
Briana Miller and Julia Gabriel faced each other twice in the ladies event. Miller took the hot seat match 7-3, sending Gabriel to the semifinals and a match against Denise Grady, who'd just survived a double hill battle against Angela Vallair in the quarterfinals. Gabriel won the semifinal matchup against Grady 7-5 and got a second chance against Miller. Miller let Gabriel get two games closer in the finals, one game away from double hill, but she hung in to win it 7-5.
John Gabriel went undefeated on the Midwest 9-Ball Tour’s $3,500-added 9-ball event on the weekend of February 23-26, working his way through a field of 150 entrants at Shooter’s in Olathe, KS. Melissa Little also went undefeated in the $500-added Ladies event, which had attracted 20 entrants.
From among the winners’ side final four, Gabriel sent Chuck Raulston west 9-5, as Dustin Gunia was busy sending Mike Banks, Jr. over 9-4. Gabriel then took the hot seat match over Gunia 9-5, and waited for his return.
First up for Banks, Jr. on the loss-side was the winner of the concurrently-run One-Pocket event, Mark Haddad, who’d defeated James Baraks 9-6, and Anthony Garcia 9-3 to reach him. Chuck Raulston, in the meantime, squared off against Joey Gray (second in the One-Pocket event), who’d downed Gary Lutman 9-3, and Gordy Vanderveer 9-6. Haddad defeated Banks, Jr. 9-4, but a re-match of the One-Pocket semifinals was avoided when Raulston dropped Gray into the tie for fifth place 9-5.
Raulston took it a step further, dropping Haddad into fourth place 9-5, and turning to face Gunia in the semifinals. Gunia ended Raulston’s bid 9-2 for a second chance versus Gabriel in a potential, true double elimination final. Gabriel took the first and only set 9-5 to secure the event title.
Melissa Little and Nicole Keeney battled twice to crown the Ladies champion. They met first in the hot seat match, and fought back and forth to double hill before Little prevailed. Keeney moved over to the semifinals to face Kathleen Morast, who’d just defeated Carrie Williams in the quarterfinals 7-5. Keeney then shut out Morast for her second chance against Little. Little, though, came out strong in the opening set of what would have been a true double elimination final, and defeated Keeney a second time 7-2.
