Degler Earns Tough Win

By Bill Rosenberger

Josh Degler's name isn't heard that often o­n the J. Pechauer Southeast 9-Ball Tour, but his play not o­nly earned him a win at Orlando Billiard Center o­n February 26-27 but also respect.  Degler finished undefeated at the newly named Orlando, FL, poolroom, and he needed every game of the final match to come out o­n top.

The 36-player field dwindled down to the final four o­n Sunday, with Degler leading the pack that included Richard Broumpton, Adam Wheeler, and John Demet.  The first two matches featured Wheeler and Degler in the hot seat, while Broumpton, who came back from an early-round defeat, battled Demet in the o­ne-loss side. 

Degler's 9-4 win put him into the finals, while Brouptom's 9-1 rout over Demet advanced him into the semifinals against Wheeler.  For the second straight match, both competitors faced the same outcome, with Broumpton against winning easily 9-2. 

The final match was tough, as tour veteran Broumpton faced Degler, who hasn't been in as many money matches.  Both, though, played like champions, and it came down to the last match of the race-to-11 finals.  In the twenty-first rack, Degler controlled the table and went o­n to win the hard-fought match 11-10. 

Besides Degler's first undefeated win o­n the tour, a few other names came out as winners as well.  The two highest ladies were Jennifer Nelson and Courtney Borge, and they received $50, as did Justin Gilsinan, who was the highest junior finisher.  A local charity in Orlando was also given a $40 donation. 

Results:

1st Josh Degler $760
2nd Richard Broumpton $500
3rd Adam Wheeler $350
4th John Demet $250
5th Tommy Kennedy, Richard Murray, $150
7th Tony Vicari, Dave Balderson $100

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