Bernie Store returned to the AWBT’s winners circle, with an undefeated run through a field of 28 players to capture the second stop of the season at Skip & Jan’s in Gilbert Arizona on April 30th – May 1st. 

 

Store dominated day one of the event, with wins over Kim Kauffman, Amanda Pulley and Becky Onnembo. Store finished the day with 21 game wins and 7 game losses. 

 

Joining Store on the winner’s side were Sara Miller, Heather Cortez and Sarah Geoghan. 

 

The one loss side saw a couple surprises as stop 1 winner Amanda Pulley, and Susan Williams both failed to make it to two day. Pulley dropped a left side match to Tami Hathcock, and Williams lost the last match of the night on Saturday to Leadrea Gaff.

 

Sunday play on the winner’s side saw Store defeat Cortez 7-3 and Miller send Geoghan to the one loss side 7-4. Store would then go on to defeat Miller in a hill-hill match for the hot-seat.

 

On the one loss side, Onnembo defeated Gaff and Jaye Succo eliminated Susan Mello. Both players coming over from the winner’s side then won matches, as Geoghan defeated Onnembo, and Cortez defeated Succo.

 

A 7-4 win by Cortez over Geoghan, kept Cortez’s tournament hopes alive, but Miller quickly snuffed those hopes out with a 7-2 win in the semi-finals. 

 

Store jumped on Miller right out of the gate in the finals, and quickly held a 5-1 lead in the extended race to 9. Miller would fight back, but it was Store scoring a 9-5 win in the end. 

 

Store’s win, combined with her runner up finish at stop 1, moves her to the top of the AWBT points list. Miller moves into second place on the list. With their first and second place finishes, Store and Miller also won invites to the North American Pool Tour’s 10-Ball Invitational in Herndon, Va this June. 

 

Eleven players returned to Skip and Jan’s on Sunday to compete in the second chance tournament. That event saw Susan Williams go undefeated for first place, with Jessica Derezinski taking second. 

 

Tour staff expressed their thanks to Natalie and her great staff at Skip and Jan’s for hosting their season opener. Thanks were also given to the “friends of the AWBT” who added $100 to the main event and $50 to the second chance tournament, as well as Las Gloria Grille for adding $100 to the main event. 

 

The AWBT will be at Stingers on June 25th – 26th, for their next stop.

The Arizona Women’s Billiard Tour drew a field of twenty four ladies to Stingers on May 22nd – 23rd for their annual Bar Table 8-Ball event, where Amanda Pulley put together an undefeated run for her second career AWBT tournament win.

 

The field was filled with the usual group of top Arizona ladies talent, including previous event winners Pulley. Bernie Store, Susan Williams, Sara Miller and Jaye Succo.

 

Saturday matches were not kind to the points list leaders, as both Store and Williams were not able to earn spots in Sunday’s matches. #1 ranked Bernie Store turned in a “three and out” performance, with losses to Pulley and Susan Williams. Williams didn’t fair much better, with losses to Sara Miller and Justine Bishop, for a 9th place finish.

 

After a 5-3 win over Succo early Sunday, Pulley faced off against tournament surprise Sarah Geoghan. Geoghan turned in her best AWBT performance yet, with four wins on the winner side and a combined games record of 20-5. Unfortunately, she had no answer for Pulley in a 5-1 loss for the hot-seat.

 

Geoghan was one game away from a rematch with Pulley in the finals, as she led Succo 3-2 in the semi-final match, but found herself unable to put the former event winner away. Succo came back to win that match 4-3 to set up a rematch between her and Pulley in the finals.

 

The final race to seven, between Pulley and Succo, couldn’t have been much closer as neither player was able to take any control in the match. Succo held multiple small leads, but could never put any distance between her and Pulley. A 5-4 lead by Succo would be her last, as Pulley dug down to win three straight games for a 7-5 victory and first place.

 

The second chance tournament on Sunday saw Sophia Morquecho, who was unable to compete in the main event, go undefeated for the win. Morquecho defeated Jamie Goodwin twice, for the hot-seat, and in the finals.

 

Assistant Tour director Tres Kane gave his thanks to Dale Hanson, and the staff of Stingers for hosting and adding $300 to the main event and $50 to the second chance event, Jose Gonzales of Las Glorias Grille for adding $100 to the main event, “friends of the AWBT” for adding $200 to the main event, and his partner Kristie Ortega for running another fine event.