Rector Captures First At The Midwest 9-Ball Tour Event

By Tori Hilty, InsidePOOL staff

Steve Rector went undefeated to triumph over local favorite Steve Hassell to capture the $1,000 first-place prize at the Midwest 9-Ball Tour latest stop, held at Side Pockets in Kansas City, MO, the weekend of April 17-18. 

The host location, part of the Side Pockets chain, is an upscale facility and offers 15,000 square feet for players and spectators to enjoy.  Situated inside are eight 9-foot tables, twenty-four 7-foot tables, a sports bar with a big-screen TV, a full bar, and a varied menu.  o­ne spectator stated that this room is o­ne of the nicest in the Midwest.

With a purse of over $3,000, many of the top regional players came out, including Steve Rector, Steve Hassell, Daniel Neldner, and Stanley Burleson.  The crowd of spectators was large and lively, as they came to cheer o­n a couple of their local favorites who were among the field of 54 players.

After an early 9-4 loss to Neldner, Hassell was forced to work his way through the o­ne-loss side.  Making his way to the quarterfinals, he met up with Burleson, where he eliminated him with a 9-6 win and moved o­nto the semis.  Here Neldner confronted Hassell, who suffered a tough hill-hill loss in the hot seat match against Rector.  In their rematch, Hassell ended up coming out o­n top 9-7.

This put the local Hassell into the finals with Rector. The spectators were full of emotion as they cheered o­n their local favorites; however, their support was not enough to secure the win for Hassell, as the match was Rector all the way.  With the alternating-break format, Hassell's dry breaks were the deciding factor that allowed Rector to clinch the win 9-3.

Results:

1st Steve Rector $1,000

2nd Steve Hassell $600

3rd Daniel Neldner $480

4th Stanley Burleson $300

5th Ken Dean, L.V. Abernathy  $200

7th Shane Kellerman, Rick Carlton $100

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