Brian Deska turned in a dominating performance during his undefeated run through a field of 79 entrants, on hand for the April 12-13 stop on the Action Pool Tour. Deska finished with a 36-9 overall record (80%), and didn't give up a rack in either of his first two matches. The event, the fourth of the Action Pool Tour season, was hosted by the First Break Cafe in Sterling, VA.

 

Once past shutouts over Scarlett Forsman and Will Moon, Deska loosened up a bit to give up a total of four racks, combined, to Steve Fleming and Tom Zippler, which put him into a winners' side semifinal against Matt Krah, who had also been skimpy in winning 24 of the 32 games he'd played (against George Hammerbacher, Steve Luskey, TJ Moore and Shaun Wilkie).

 

Rick Glassock and Paul Oh squared off in the other winners' side semifinal; Glasscock coming in on the heels of three straight double hill fights (against Brian Dietzenbach, Shanna Lewis and Steve Wigglesworth) and a single shutout over Rafael Reyes, which put him among the final four winners with a 24-15 record. Oh was the only one of the four who'd not received a bye in the opening round, and joined the final four winners with a 30-12 overall record against five opponents; (in order) Leo McDaniel, Matt LeMire, Matthew Siple, David Zecena and Kim Whiteman.

 

Deska's toughest match all weekend was against Krah, whom he sent to the losers' bracket 6-3, while Glasscock was busy chalking up his second straight shutout, over Oh. In their first of two meetings, Deska defeated Glasscock 6-2 and waited in the hot seat for their second.

 

On the loss side, Krah moved over and picked up Rafael Reyes, who, after being shut out by Glasscock had defeated Alan Duty and Tuan Chau, both 5-3. Oh drew Paul Helms, who'd been sent to the losers' bracket by Kim Whitman and was in the midst of a five-match, loss-side run that would take him to the quarterfinals. Krah downed Reyes 5-1, as Helms was busy handing Oh his second straight shutout. 

 

Krah went one step further, defeating Helms in the quarterfinals 5-1, and then locking up in a double hill battle against Glasscock in the semifinals. Glasscock hung on to win it for a second chance against Deska. 

 

Deska would give up more racks (4) in the finals than he'd given up to any opponent all weekend, though given the fact that the final match was a race to 9, instead of 6, his winning percentage in the finals (69%) was an actual improvement over his toughest match; the 6-3 (66%) win over Krah in one of the winners' side semifinals.

 

The event victory movEd Deska up a notch in the Action Pool Tour rankings, from third to second place. Shaun Wilkie, who finished in the tie for 7th place, maintained his top ranking, while Dan Madden, who finished 45th, slipped into third place. The next stop on the Action Pool Tour, scheduled for May 10-11, will be held at Diamond Billiards in Midlothian, VA.

Mike Davis took two out of three matches against Brandon Shuff to claim the twelfth stop on the 2012-2013 Action Pool Tour season. Heading into the tour's final point-eligible event, scheduled for September 7-8, Davis' victory assured him a spot among the tour's top 10 players for the 2012-2013 season. The event drew 37 entrants to First Break Cafe in Sterling, VA. 

 

After being awarded an opening round bye, Davis got by Stephano Araviakis, Steve Wigglesworth and the tour's #3-ranked player, Dominic Noe. This set him up to play a winners' side semifinal match against Dan Madden, the #4-ranked player. Shuff and the tour's #1-ranked player, Brett Stottlemyer, squared off in the other winners' side semifinal. Shuff sent Stottlemyer to the loss side 9-6, and prepared for his first of three against Davis, who'd defeated Madden 9-2. Davis took the first of those three 9-6, and sat in the hot seat, waiting for Shuff to get back.

 

Stottlemyer moved to the loss side and met up with Shaun Wilkie, who'd been sent over by Shuff in the third round. Wilkie had picked up a forfeit victory over Dominic Noe and then given up only a single rack to Mike Ricciardella. Madden drew Danny Green, who'd eliminated Leo McDaniel 7-3, and Jeremy Perkins 7-5. Both of the matches, fought for advancement to the quarterfinals. went double hill; Stottlemyer picking up his second straight loss, advancing Wilkie,  as Madden was ending Green's weekend.

 

The quarterfinal match between Madden and Wilkie (two of the tour's top 10) went to double hill, too, with Madden prevailing for a shot at Shuff in the semifinals. That match came within a game of being double hill, too, but Shuff earned his re-match against Davis in the finals with a 7-5 win over Madden.

 

Shuff  took the opening set of the finals, chalking up his nine racks and restricting Davis to four. Davis, though, came back in the shortened second set to chalk up seven, holding Shuff to four and claiming his third Action Pool Tour victory.

 

Stottlemyer will be the 2012-2013 Action Pool Tour's top-ranked player 

 

Regardless of the outcome of the APT's final stop on the weekend of September 7-8, at Breaker's Sky Lounge in Verndon, VA, Brett Stottlemyer will end the season as the tour's #1-ranked player. His fifth-place finish in this event earned him performance points that put him out of reach of his closest competitors for the tour ranking title. He will, as a result, be awarded the tour's top-ranking prize of free entry to the US Open 9-Ball Championships in October.

 

There could be an interesting battle on that final tour stop for the tour's second and third-ranked players. Separated, for the moment, by only 29 points in the tour's performance standings (and assuming their presence), tour director Ozzy Reynolds (#2, for now) and Dominic Noe will be battling for that position. If Reynolds finishes the final event ahead of Noe, he will secure the second spot. If the reverse is true, Noe could finish in that spot. There is, too, the possibility that the #4-ranked player, Dan Madden, could pass them both; assuming that at the last event, he is present and finishes ahead of them, way ahead of them.