Driskell & Miller split top prizes on Lucasi Women’s Open 9-Ball Stop #4 in North Palm Beach
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Briana Miller, WPBA competitor and Tour Director of the J. Pechauer Northeast Women’s Tour has shifted her base of operations from Pennsylvania to Florida recently, which, though likely to increase her frequent flyer miles in the process, doesn’t seem to have affected her game. She and WPBA colleague, the Florida-based Kaylee McIntosh Driskell went head-to-head in the finals of Stop #4 on the Lucasi Florida Tour’s Women’s Open 9-Ball tournament last weekend (Sat., July 19). They opted out of a complete final match, deciding to split the top two prizes and play a single, ‘sudden death’ game to determine who’d go home with the event trophy. Driskell won the single game to claim the trophy and ‘official’ title at the $1,000-added event which drew 27 entrants to the Village Cue Club in North Palm Beach, FL.
The tournament played out in two stages; a double-elimination Stage 1, which advanced eight competitors, four from each side of the bracket, to a single-elimination Stage 2. Driskell and Miller both advanced to Stage 2 from the loss side of the Stage 1, double-elimination bracket.
They would have met in the third round of Stage 1, and though Driskell advanced to that third round with wins over Sandy Cheng 7-0 and Mimi McAndrews 7-1, Miller, having shut out Deanna Laney in her opening round, fell to Kim Housman 7-5 in the second round. Housman advanced at that point to win a double-hill match in the qualifying round for Stage 2 that sent Driskell to the loss side.
Advancing with Housman from the winners’ side of the Stage 1 bracket were Jeannie Seaver, Jessica Barnes and Crystal McCormick. On the loss side of the bracket, Miller won three in a row by an aggregate game score of 15-2, shutting out her last opponent in the qualifying round, Kathryn Fairchild, to become the first loss-side competitor to qualify for Stage 2 single-elimination play. Joining her among the loss-side qualifiers were Robin Verner, Cindy Pyfrom and Driskell, who’d won the only loss-side match she needed 5-2 over Julia Bright.
The four competitors who won the opening round of Stage 2 won their requisite 24 games (6 each), while giving up a total of only four racks. Driskell won her rematch against Housman 6-2, Miller and Barnes defeated McCormick and Verner 6-1, respectively, while Jeannie Seaver shut out Cindy Pyfrom.
Miller won a 6-3 battle versus Barnes and punched her ticket to the final. Driskell joined her after a 6-4 victory over Seaver. The decision to split the top two prizes and play a single game to claim the event trophy and title was made and Driskell won the game.
Tour representatives thanked the ownership and staff at the Village Cue Club, along with title sponsor Lucasi Cues, Boynton Billiards, AZ Billiards, No Quit Apparel, Eastern Billiards and Andy Cloth. Thanks were also extended to Deanna Laney and Samantha Winters for running a smooth event, along with shout-outs to Stephanie Mitchell (“as always”) for her assistance with the tour, shot-clocker Scott Blacksher and Tournament Official/Referee Jerry Sotelo. “Most importantly,” the tour noted, “huge thanks to all of the players who turned out for this event!”
The next stop (#5) on the tour, scheduled for Sat., Sept. 6, will be hosted by Brewland Billiards in Clearwater, FL.
