Knockout playoffs for Tuesday billiards

Team SCS and Crazy 8 players pose for a group photo before the start of their games in the SBA-Budweiser Open 8-Ball Tuesday league last week. (Contributed Photo)

The Saipan Billiards Association Budweiser Open 8-Ball Tuesday league enters the knockout phase with the 9 Eleven Docomo Hustlers, Tasha’s Str8 Black Ball, 9 Eleven Titans, and Chow Time-Blue Hause Destroyers advancing in the playoffs.

The Hustlers topped the 20-week elimination round with a league best 156-104 win-loss record, followed closely by the Str8 Black Ball’s 153-107 record. The Titans collected 141 wins out of 260 matches they played, while the Destroyers ended up with a 137-123 slate.

Tasha’s Crazy 8 and the Chow Time Assassins were the other teams that competed and were eliminated. The Crazy 8 finished the division with a 103-157 mark, while the Assassins occupied the cellar (90-170).

The Hustlers were playing against the Destroyers with the Black Ball and the Titans forming the other half of the Final Four round played last Tuesday. Match results were unavailable as of press time. The winners will face off in next week’s finals, Sept. 19, while the losers battle for third place.

Last week’s results had the Hustlers completing a masterful 12-1 demolition of the Assassins, putting the former on top of the standings after allowing the Destroyers to occupy the leaderboard for a couple of weeks.

Erwin Gomez, Jerry Soriano, Robert Sanciangco, Joey Lucido, Rowel Mariano showed they remain as the team to beat as they were merciless in dispatching the Assassins, who scored their lone win courtesy of the pair of Chris Camacho and Julian Reyes.

The Black Ball and the Titans II pulled off similar 8-5 decisions against the Destroyers and Crazy 8 in the other final elimination round matches last week.

In the Thursday division, the 9 Eleven MJD Warriors won via walkover against the Chow Time-Blue Haus Homeboyz last week to push themselves atop the standings, entering the final day of the elimination round tomorrow night.

The Warriors’ 13-0 win over the Homeboyz allowed them to hold a slim lead over the Chow Time 8-Black Ball. The Warriors now have a 163-97 slate against the 162-98 mark of the Black Ball heading to the final week of games.

The Str8 Black Ball defeated the Titans II, 9-4, Wild Bills downed the Jam Shooters, 8-5, and Team SCS nipped the Extreme, 7-6, in the other matches last week.

All eyes will be on the separate matches of the Warriors and the 8-Black Ball against the Titans II and the Jam Shooters, respectively, today as the number of wins will determine which team will occupy the top ranking in the knockout playoffs phase of the tournament.

Other final elimination round matches will have the Tasha’s Wild Bills battling sister team Extremeand Sands Team SCS taking on the Homeboyz.