Diamond Eight sweeps 2009 APA Team Championships

Congratulations to “Billiard Bandits” and “Did You See That?,” winners of the LTCs, and now Vegas bound!

The teams that won their respective LTC brackets have 3 things in common:

1. All three teams are from Diamond Eight!
2. They all count local great Tom Acciavatti as a member!!
3. And they are all headed to Las Vegas!!!

8-Ball

“Billiard Bandits,” led by Christine Skawinski, came back from a 1-0 deficit, to steal the next 3 matches against team “All Phased.” Stacy Mendrick dominated her opponent by making some great shots and playing good position. In the 3rd match, Bob Macy’s opponent started with a masterful break and run. Bob stayed cool and found a way to win the next 2 games. After a missed 8-ball, Bob had to rack for the 5th and final game. Both shooters went back and forth, but a scratch on the 8-ball gave Bob the victory, as the “Bandits” took a 2-1 match lead. Tom Acciavatti was able to come from behind to win the 4th and final match for the team. Tom was showered by hugs in a huge celebration by the team, mostly comprised of Diamond Eight employees.

“Did You See That?” led by Michael Kordt and John Stock, quietly celebrated their 8-Ball Championship victory since they were also playing in the 9-Ball semi-finals! Kordt’s 8-ball team clawed back from being down 1 match against the formidable “Off the Wall” team, led by Frank Majewski.By winning the next 3 matches, they secured their bid to advance to Las Vegas.

9-Ball

“Did You See That?” was then able to concentrate on duplicating the feat in the sole 9-ball bracket. Their opponent was “Blue’s Clues,” a strong team led by John Robinson. This was a repeat match from the Spring 2009 playoff finals, which Kordt’s team was able to win. Blue’s Cues tried to avoid the same result by taking a 25-15 team lead after 2 matches. The key 3rd match saw Ryan Dean get a 15-5 victory and bring “DYST?” back to 30-30. Tom Acciavatti held SL4 player Bill Majer to 11 points, which put Kordt’s team at 47, just 4 points shy of the win. John Robinson did his best in the “sudden death” match, but “Did You See That?” was able to hold on for the win, and the coveted Blaney Cups, the tickets to Vegas and a chance to compete at the highest level of the APA leagues.

For the second time in 2 years, one team has captured both the 8- and 9-ball LTC crowns. “No Clue” did it in 2008, and we congratulate “Did You See That?” for this incredible feat in 2009.

A Great Experience

Congratulations to all the teams who made it to the LTCs. It is quite a feat just to qualify! Special thanks to Steve and Lisa Blaney, owners of the APA of Albany league, who ran a great tournament and were able to smile throughout!

All the teams seemed to have a lot of fun, and many expressed their thanks for having the opportunity to compete at this level. It was a great experience for all!