The last time Liz Lovely and Nicole Keeney squared off in a final match, during the third stop on the Midwest Ladies Regional Tour (MLRT) in April, Keeney came out on top, defeating Lovely twice to claim the title. On Saturday, June 18, they met again, only this time, it was Lovely who came out on top, stopping a loss-side bid by Keeney in their only meeting, in the finals. The $500-added event drew 13 entrants to Miss Cue North in Toledo, OH.

 

With Keeney already at work on the loss side, thanks to a double hill defeat at the hands of Charlotte Ashley, Liz Lovely advanced to a winners' side semifinal against Cathy McDaniel. Adina Pelletier, in the meantime, faced Toni Tucker. Lovely moved into the hot seat match 7-3 over McDaniel, and was joined by Pelletier, who'd sent Tucker to the loss side 7-5. Lovely shut Pelletier out and sat in the hot seat, waiting on Keeney.

 

Keeney opened her loss-side run against Carla Herevia. A 6-1 victory over Herevia was followed by a double hill win over Angela Mears, which set Keeney up to face McDaniel. Tucker picked up Stephanie Goens, who'd completed two straight double hill wins over Charlotte Ashley and Lupe Harpster.

 

Keeney eliminated McDaniel 6-2, and in the quarterfinals, met with Tucker, who'd defeated Goens 6-3. Keeney took the quarterfinal match over Tucker 6-4, and, as Lovely had done in the hot seat match, shut Pelletier out in the semifinals. 

 

Lovely ended Keeney's run in the finals, but not without a double hill fight. As winner, Lovely qualified for the North American Pool Tour's next stop in August. A scheduling conflict led Lovely to pass the qualification prize on to Keeney.

 

The next stop on the MLRT, scheduled for August 13, will be hosted by 8-Ball Sports Bar in Columbus, OH.

In a field considerably diminished by snow and ice, still dogging quite a few Northern regions of the country, Nicole Keeney and Liz Lovely showed up to play at the third stop on the Midwest Ladies Regional Tour on Saturday, April 9. They played twice, in the hot seat and finals, with Keeney winning them both to complete an undefeated, short run at the $250-added event that drew 12 entrants to Snookers, in Livonia, MI.

 

Keeney faced Carla Herevia in one winners' side semifinal, as Lovely (for unspecified reasons, playing with a house cue throughout the tournament), squared off against Charlotte Ashley. Keeney gave up only one rack to Herevia. Lovely gave up three to Ashley. In the hot seat match that followed, Lovely chalked up four against Keeney and moved to the semifinals.

 

Herevia picked up Ali Seatle on the loss side, who'd gotten by Cathy McDaniel 6-4 and Jaki Lovrince 6-3. Ashley ran into Joset Seltz, who'd defeated Michelle Barth, double hill, and tour director Angela Williams 6-4. Angela Mears, who'd lost to Williams, and Lupe Harpster, who'd lost to Lovrince rounded out the field of 12.

 

Ashley eliminated Seltz 6-2, while Herevia ended Seatle's bid 6-4. Ashley defeated Herevia 6-3 in the quarterfinal match that followed, and had her own bid ended by Lovely 6-1 in the semifinals. As one might have expected from the finals combination of Keeney and Lovely, the match went double hill, before Keeney finished it at 7-6 to claim the event title.

If you’ve never been to Michael’s Billiards, then you’re missing a real treat. Michael has a fondness for neon, the old-school, and smooth jazz, and that shows in the amazingly dynamic and bright decor throughout this historic pool hall. And the icing on the cake is the well-cared-for 9-foot Diamond tables. 

 

The field was smaller than usual, with only 12 shooters, but the competition was just as strong as we’ve come to expect from the Midwest Ladies’ Regional Tour. Starting out strong, Angela Williams beat Connie O’Heron 7-6, Monica Hill beat Tabitha Carmack 7-1, Adina Pelletier beat Stephanie Goens 7-6 and Christy Dickerson defeated Charlotte Alford 7-5. Second round winners included Julie Skripac-Cooper over Williams (7-5), Hill over Debbie Cervantes (7-5), Amee Schmidt over Pelletier (7-6) and Dickerson over Lupe Harpster (7-2).

 

O’Heron and Williams rocked the b-side. Williams defeated Alford (6-4); Goens (6-4), and Hill (6-2) who had lost her quarter-finals match to Skripac-Cooper (7-1). O’Heron showed her dedication and skill, beating out Harpster (6-4), Carmack (6-4), and Schmidt (6-4), who was defeated in the quarter-finals by Dickerson (7-1). Schmidt and Hill finished 5th. 

 

 

O’Heron and Williams met again in the semi-finals of the B-side. The stakes were high; both women fighting for points and prestige. A great match ensued, with table play, strong form, and wicked defense. Williams started strong, leading the match 5-2 early on. But O’Heron is a real pro, and she pulled out 3 in a row to tie it on the hill. A fierce safety game proved to be a nail-biter for all those watching, and Williams skillfully—and surprisingly—locked O’Heron up tight. O’Heron three-fouled on the two-ball, and Williams took the win! O’Heron finished 4th.

 

 

On the winner’s side, Dickerson and Skripac-Cooper played for the chair. Both women proving why they were there, shooting clean, straight and strong, but in the end, Dickerson’s superior technique came out on top 7-4. 

 

After being defeated in the semi-finals, Skripac-Cooper came on strong in her match against Williams. Williams, determined to win the second set against the local gal, played hard, pulling out some amazing shots, and keeping pace with her opponent to the end. The final game saw both ladies struggling, not surprising for the time of night, but it was Williams who made the last error, and Skripac-Cooper finished the set, 6-5. Williams finished 3rd. 

 

 

Once again, Dickerson annihilated in the finals. The smooth-stroking, exceptionally consistent shooter just hit everything right. Skripac-Cooper stole a game mid-match, but there wasn’t much else she could do against the powerhouse from Indy. Dickerson finished her back-to-back win 7-1 over Skripac-Cooper, for ANOTHER undefeated victory!

 

 

MLRT Stop #8 will take place on November 14, 2015 at Billiard Club of Louisville, KY. 

 

MLRT will hold a WPBA Masters qualifier on December 5, 2015 at Michael’s in Fairfield. Adina and Marc Pelletier have sponsored the event, so the winner will get paid entry into the WPBA Masters, to be held February 3-7, 2016 at Soaring Eagle Casino & Resort. Additionally, Michael’s will add $1000 (based on 32 players)!

 

For more info, see their website at www.midwestladiestour.com and/or contact the tour directors at director@midwestladiestour.com.

A gorgeous, modern backdrop, European Global 9-footers, and big screen TVs set the stage for MLRT Stop #6 where 18 of the area’s top talents battled at Plush Pocket in Warren, MI. Coming out strong, and making it to the quarter finals were Debbie Cervantes v Connie O’Heron, Trish Vermule v Rebecca Venson, Curtisha Alford v Christy Dickerson, and Angela Mears v Jaki Lovrince. 

 

Surprisingly, Rae “Young Gun” Norgaard struggled in the first round, losing to Vermule 4-7. Competitors who also didn’t play their best in the early day were Sherrlyrodaka Latterel, Angela Williams, Lupe Harpster, Shari Ross, Julie Hunter, Adina Pelletier, Janice Kumagai, and Ali Seattle. 

 

However, Harpster and Pelletier showed great stamina and skill, blasting through the B-side. Harpster defeated Kelly O’Heron (6-3); Cervantes (6-4), and Williams (6-4) before losing her match against Mears 3-6. Lovrince showed her experience, beating out Norgaard 6-5. Pelletier beat out Kumagai (6-2) and Alford (6-4), but then lost to Lovrince 2-6. 

 

On the winner’s side, Christy Dickerson gave nothing away as she barreled through the competition, beating Mears 7-4 and Connie O’Heron 7-1. 

 

Rebecca Venson showed up, too, beating Vermule 4-7 in the quarter finals, and put up a valiant fight against O’Heron, who came out on top 7-4.

 

After being defeated in the semi-finals, Venson beat Lovrince 6-2, then ferociously battled Mears, winning the set 6-4, for her chance to get back to O’Heron. The second meeting of these two powerhouses was extraordinary. Subtlety and sheer willfulness beamed from both women, each going tit-for-tat during the semi-finals on the B-side. In the end, tied 5-5, O’Heron made a fatal error, and Venson swooped in for the kill! 

 

The finals match was simply an annihilation. Dickerson hit every stroke perfectly, pocketing each ball dead-center. Venson started strong, but her confidence faltered in the second game, giving the lead 2-1 to Dickerson. Dickerson then broke and ran the next game, only to scratch on the 9, tying the match 2-2. That was the last game Venson got. Dickerson cleaned table after table, Venson only getting up to break on her turn. Each miss by Venson was a victory for Dickerson, who finished the set 7-2, undefeated the entire day!

 

Special thanks go to Kevin Ross for taking action shots! For more of Kevin’s work, find him on flickr: https://www.flickr.com/photos/k_c_ross/. 

 

MLRT Stop #7 will take place on October 17, 2015 at Michael’s Billiards in Fairfield, OH. For more info, see their website at www.midwestladiestour.com and/or contact the tour directors at director@midwestladiestour.com.