Lavoie Goes Undefeated

Lavoie Goes UndefeatedKBP Amateur 9-Ball Tour / Holiday, FL

by Rick Davis
Taking place at Hammer Heads Billiards in Holiday, FL, the KBP Amateur 9-Ball Tour drew in a 33-player field over the October 27-28 weekend, and after the dust has cleared it was Dan Lavoie, a regular player on many of the Southern tours, who swept the chart and took the event undefeated.
After a first-round bye and four solid wins Lavoie found himself in the hot seat match facing Trevor Heal, who had an identical run on the winners’ side and was also a tour regular. After a brief showdown Lavoie come out on top 7-4 to earn the king of the hill chair.
On the one-loss side the field quickly shrank as the evening played out. The top half of the bracket showcased two great comebacks. After a first-round loss Peter Richards and Jesse Langston each took five wins before they faced up in the first money round. There it was Richards who stayed in gear with the 5-3 win to advance. On the bottom of the chart Jim Oddy and Billy Moses met after each had a late loss on the winners’ side. Moses was eager to return there, and after drilling Oddy 5-1 he was on his way again.
Moses stayed alive through the next few rounds, eliminating Brandon Byrne 5-0 then Bobby Livargo double-hill in the quarterfinals. In the semifinals another double-hill match unfolded, but this time it was Heal on top knocking out Moses 5-4. With the last match on hand a single extended race awaited the players, and just shy of going double-hill once again, Lavoie took back control in the end to take the match 9-7 and claim the event win.
Results:
1st Dan Lavoie
2nd Trevor Heal
3rd Billy Moses
4th Bobby Livargo
5th Peter Richards
Brandon Byrne
7th Jesse Langston
Jim Oddy

Lykins Locks Down Stroker

Lykins Locks Down Stroker’s

KBP Lucasi Amateur 9-Ball Tour / Palm Harbor, FL
by Rick Davis
Billiard News - Brett Lykins came back to take first place over Jim Sandaler at the July 7-8 stop of the KBP Lucasi Amateur 9-Ball Tour. Hosted by Stroker’s Billiards in Palm Harbor, FL, this stop saw a talented field vying for the top spot.
Late action on the winners’ side saw Jim Sandaler destroy Bob Eaton 9-1, while Lykins saw the axe fall on him as tour regular Jason Richko slipped past double-hill. That set up the hot seat match between Sandaler and Richko, where another double-hill showdown unfolded, although this time Richko was at the other end as Sandaler defeated him to move towards the finals while Richko went west.
On the one-loss side players tried to make a final surge to the finish line. Josh Lewis eliminated Jake Cox, while Luther Blades ousted Paul Smith, known as “Little Louie” on tour. Both Lewis and Blades were stopped in the next round as Eaton knocked out Lewis and Lykins eliminated Blades, both matches going 7-5.
Yet another nail-biter was offered in the quarterfinals as the score crept to double-hill again, although this time Eaton scratched on the 8, giving the match to Lykins, who escaped to the semifinals. Lykins quickly caught a gear, drilling Richko 7-1 in the semifinals and getting revenge from his earlier loss. He then moved to the waiting Sandaler in the finals. With a single race to 11, the finals steadily gained speed until Lykins assumed the lead and bolted to an 11-8 finish to secure a great comeback and claim top honors.
Results:
1st Brett Lykins
2nd Jim Sandaler
3rd Jason Richko
4th Bob Eaton
5th Josh Lewis
Luther Blades
7th Paul Smith
Jake Cox

Langston Undefeated in Tampa

Langston Undefeated in Tampa

KBP 9-Ball Tour / Tampa, FL
by Rick Davis
The April 29 stop of the KBP Lucasi Amateur 9-Ball Tour pulled into Planet 9-Ball in Tampa, FL, where a solid field of 28 players turned out to be sacrificed to Jesse Langston, who went undefeated throughout the event.
After not giving up more than four racks in any of his first four matches, Langston met Alan Morgan in the hot seat match. Morgan had a much rougher road, giving up less than five racks only once. Fighting to advance to the finals, both players fought tooth and nail until, at double-hill, Langston surged forward.
On the one-loss side tour regular Nomar Paula kept ahead of the carnage until John Tatum steamrolled him 5-1. Nearby, Jake Cox eliminated Luther Blades 5-3 to face Tatum in the quarterfinals. In the quarterfinals Tatum was untouchable, knocking out Cox 5-2, then improving on his game in the semifinals. Tatum sent Morgan home after a 5-1 thrashing.
The finals offered an extended race to 9, and both players were shooting straight, making it an interesting match. After tipping back and forth Langston shifted up a gear and took a pair of racks to give him the 9-7 win and claim the event undefeated.
Results:
1st Jesse Langston
2nd John Tatum
3rd Alan Morgan
4th Jake Cox
5th Luther Blades
Nomar Paula

Moses and Mitchell Beat Hammer Heads Billiards

Moses and Mitchell Beat Hammer Heads Billiards

KBP 9-Ball Tour / Holiday, FL
by Rick Davis
The KBP 9-Ball Tour hit Hammer Heads Billiards in Holiday, FL, over the April 14-15 weekend. Billy Moses claimed the open event and Stephanie Mitchell took the ladies’ event, each player making a comeback from a late defeat.
In the 32-player open division Moses quickly reached the hot seat match, where he faced Jose Ybarra and fell just shy after Ybarra took the double-hill win. On the one-loss side it was a fight to the finish as Jeremy Bell ousted Jason Richko 5-4 and Bobby Livraco eliminated Keelan McCuller 5-2. In the quarterfinals Bell came out on top of another double-hill battle, eliminating Livraco, but then fell to Moses 5-3 in the semifinals. With Moses and Ybarra clashing again, the match seemed destined to be close once more, but this time a new result came out as Moses claimed the match 7-5.
In the ladies’ division Stacey Lantz shot out to the hot seat match, where she faced and defeated Deann Footer 7-5. On the one-loss side Mitchell was on the road to recovery, and after drilling Jessica Barnes 5-1, she did nearly as well in the quarterfinals against Peggy Rowe, knocking her out by virtue of a 5-2 score. In the semifinals Mitchell was still untouchable as she blazed through Footer 5-1 to reach the finals. Now able to taste the first-place title, Mitchell played strong, although Lantz was not giving up any ground and just before the warning lights of double-hill could be seen, Mitchell claimed the match 7-5 to complete an excellent comeback.
Open Results:
1st Billy Moses
2nd Jose Ybarra
3rd Jeremy Bell
4th Bobby Livraco
5th Jason Richko
Keelan McCuller
Ladies’ Results:
1st Stephanie Mitchell
2nd Stacy Lantz
3rd Deann Footer
4th Peggy Rowe

Tatum Returns to Clear Capone

Tatum Returns to Clear Capone’s

KBP Amateur 9-Ball Tour / Spring Hill, FL
by Rick Davis
The second of two offerings from KBP over the March 31-April 1 weekend played out at Capone’s in Spring Hill, FL, where John Tatum came back from a late loss to claim the event, besting the field of 38 players.
Surviving the fight to the hot seat match was Tatum and Jeff Miller, who dominated the winners’ side. Each received a first-round bye then ground through another four matches. In the hot seat match the score tipped towards each player, but at double-hill Miller was able to surge ahead, taking the final rack to become king of the hill.

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