Call it the pitter-patter of little feet; well, smaller anyway. Sitting in the hot seat on the June 24 stop on the Lucasi Hybrid New England 9-Ball Tour, Stan Rupard watched as Terry McDermott completed a five-match, loss-side winning streak to face him in the finals. With a D+ handicap, she had gotten by an A player (Choneyi Tenzin), a C player (Eli Davenport), an Open player (Nick Conner), a B+ player (Josh Rupard), and another A player (Dan Simoneau) to reach him. Rupard, though, held McDermott to a single rack of the three she needed for a first victory in the true double elimination finals and completed his undefeated day. The event drew 22 entrants to Legends Billiards in Portsmouth, NH.

From among the winners’ side final four, Rupard began his three-match march to the event title by sending his son, Josh to the loss side 6-3. In the hot seat match that followed, he faced Dan Simoneau, who’d sent Conner west 6-6. Rupard got into the hot seat with a 6-4 victory over Simoneau and watched as those ‘little feet’ made their way in his direction.

McDermott, who’d been sent west by Josh Rupard from among the winners’ side final eight, began her return voyage to the finals with the victory over Tenzin 3-5. She followed it with the win over Davenport 4-3, which put Conner in her path. Josh Rupard met up with Sina Brown, who’d survived two straight double hill matches against Joe Meuse and Will McDonald to reach him. McDermott ended Conner’s day in a double hill win and in the quarterfinals, got a re-match against Josh Rupard, who’d shut out Brown.

McDermott wreaked her vengeance and came out on top in the quarterfinal match against Josh Rupard, 3-1, and then, in the semifinals, with Simoneau racing to 10, she completed her loss-side streak with a 3-8 victory. She’d vanquished the son, but Dad, Stan Rupard, allowed her only a single rack in an 8-1 victory that secured the event title.

Ernest Porell fell victim to a low handicap in a battle among the winners’ side final four and missed a chance to face Corey Tapley for the hot seat. He chalked up three on the loss side and faced him in a true double elimination final, winning the opening set. Tapley, though, came back to win the second set and won the Sunday, May 6 stop on the Lucasi Hybrid New England 9-Ball Tour, which had drawn 21 entrants to Buster’s Billiards in Somersworth, NH.

As Tapley was busy sending Steve Therrien west 6-2 in the winners’ side semifinals, Porell was wrapped up in a handicap battle versus Sina Brown, who needed to win only three games to his eight. Brown got the three necessary, advancing to the hot seat match. Tapley, needing eight games, as well, defeated Brown, double hill (8-2) and sat in the hot seat, waiting for Porell.

Porell moved over to pick up Dan Simoneau, who’d defeated Stan Rupard 7-5 and Laddie Mills, double hill, to reach him. Therrien drew Terry McDermott, who, with a handicap advantage, had gotten by Gary Columbie and Gil Stadig in two, identical 3-5, double hill victories.  Porell advanced to the quarterfinals 6-2 over Simoneau, while McDermott chalked up his third straight double hill win – 3-7 over Therrien – and joined him.

The quarterfinal proved to be McDermott’s fourth straight (and last) double hill battle. Porell prevailed 8-2 and turned to his re-match against Brown in the semifinals. He allowed Brown only a single rack in those semifinals for a chance against Tapley.

In the straight-up, race-to-7, double elimination final, Porell took the opening set 7-3. They battled to double hill in the second set, before Tapley prevailed to claim the event title.