The Midwest 9-Ball Tour was back at Shooter’s in Olathe, KS on the long weekend of July 12-15, and played host to three separate tournaments. The $1,000-added One Pocket event, which launched the weekend on Thursday, July 12 drew 38 entrants and was won by Joey Gray. The $600-added Ladies event, won by Karen Lincoln-Catron, drew 19 entrants. The $3,400-added 9-Ball Open drew the largest crowd (116) and was won by Alex Olinger.
Karen Lincoln-Catron was the only winner to go undefeated. She got into the hot seat with a 7-3 win over Marnie Zimmerman. On the loss side, Carlee Hart defeated Sandra Derham 7-5 in the quarterfinals, and then, Zimmerman in the semifinals 7-3. Lincoln-Catron needed only the first set of the true double elimination final to defeat Hart 7-4 and complete her undefeated run.
It was Joey Gray who advanced to the hot seat in the One Pocket event, downing Raymund Faroan, double hill. On the loss side, Charlie “Hillbilly” Bryant downed Mike Beehler in the quarterfinals, double hill and then left Faroan in third place with a double win in the semifinals, as well. Bryant took the opening set of the true double elimination final 3-1. Gray came back to win the second set by the same score to capture the One Pocket title.
Alex Olinger and Manny Perez battled three times in their effort to claim the 9-Ball Open title. They met first in the hot seat match, won by Olinger 9-7. On the loss side, Raymund Faroan downed Mike Beehler in the quarterfinals 9-7, only to be defeated by Perez double hill (9-8) in the semifinals. Perez won his second straight double hill match in the opening set of the true double elimination final. Olinger took the second set 9-4 to claim the Open 9-Ball title.
Liz Lovely rallied from an opening set defeat at the hands of Jessica Frideres in the finals of the Midwest 9-Ball Tour's $700-added Ladies event, held on the weekend of July 8-10, to win the second set and claim the ladies' title. The event, held in conjunction with a One Pocket and Open event (separate stories) drew 24 entrants to Shooter's in Olathe, KS.
They met first in a winners' side semifinal, as Kathleen Morast and Karen Lincoln met in the other one. Lovely sent Frideres to the loss side 7-2, and in the hot seat match, faced Morast, who'd defeated Lincoln 7-5. Lovely claimed the hot seat 7-4 over Lincoln and waited on Frideres.
On the loss side, Frideres picked up Amy Boulware, who'd defeated Monica Dibben, double hill, to reach her. Morast drew Rhea Brooks, who'd gotten by Alisha Ropes 7-4. Frideres shut out Boulware, and in the quarterfinals, faced Morast, who'd eliminated Ropes, double hill.
Frideres took the quarterfinal match over Morast 7-3, and then eliminated Lincoln 7-4 in the semifinals. With a bit of momentum on her side, Frideres took the opening set of the true double elimination final 7-2. Lovely came back to take the second set 7-5 and claim the event title.
Alex Olinger sliced through a daunting field of 120 entrants to go undefeated in the Midwest 9-Ball Tour's $3,250-added Open event on the weekend of February 20-23. Liz Lovely did the same thing in the $750-added, Ladies Tournament, which drew 30. Both, along with a One-Pocket event (separate story), were hosted by Shooter's in Olathe, KS.
Olinger, who picked up two victories on the Midwest 9-Ball Tour last year (March and August), and won the Great Southern Billiard Tour's tour championship in December, met up with the runner-up in the weekend's One Pocket event, John Gabriel, twice; first in the hot seat match, and later, the finals. Olinger had sent Gordon Van Der Veer to the losers' bracket 9-5, as Gabriel was busy doing likewise to Billy Thorpe in a double hill match. Olinger took the first of his two against Gabriel 9-5 and sat in the hot seat, awaiting his return.
On the loss side, Van Der Veer drew Dustin Gunia, who'd just eliminated two Midwest 9-Ball Tour heavyweights; Gabe Owen (who won the One Pocket event) 9-6 and Shane McMinn 9-4 (McMinn had eliminated Joey Gray). Thorpe drew a third Midwest 9-Ball Tour heavyweight, Chip Compton, who'd defeated Ryan Cobb 9-5 and survived a double hill battle against Manny Perez.
Thorpe advanced to the quarterfinals with a 9-5 victory over Compton. Van Der Veer did not, falling to Gunia 9-6. Gunia completed his loss-side run with a double hill win over Thorpe and was then stopped by Gabriel in the semifinals 9-7. Olinger completed his undefeated run with a 9-4 win over Gabriel in the finals.
Liz Lovely and Melissa Little played twice in the Ladies event, with Lovely winning both. She'd defeated Allison Hardwick in one of the winners' side semifinals as Little was sending Heather Middleton over 7-1. Lovely and Little battled to double hill in the winners' side final, before Lovely prevailed.
On the loss side, Hardwick and Middleton were handed their second straight losses immediately. Hardwick fell 7-3 to Brittany Colbert, who'd already gotten by Jessica Frideres 7-5 and Barb Avery 7-1. Middleton was shut out by Julia Gabriel, who'd defeated Karen Lincoln 7-2 and Michelle Davis 7-4 to reach her. Gabriel won the quarterfinal over Colbert 7-5 and was then, herself, eliminated by Little 7-3. Lovely then chalked up her second victory over Little 7-4 to claim the Ladies title.
