8BC defeats UO 5-1 (Prediction: 4-2 8BC)
The East again wins the weekly cross-divisional match.
DS defeats X8B 5-1 (Prediction: 4-3 X8B)
DS dominates X8B, taking the top spot away from them for now.
FR defeats BNR 4-3 (Prediction: 4-3 BNR)
It was no surprise this came down to Travis vs Daru in Game 7.
SP defeats SS 5-1 (Prediction: 4-2 SP)
SP nearly gets the clean sweep as SS had many falters in this one.
SPS defeats REG 4-3 (Prediction: 4-2 SPS)
SPS dodges disaster as they almost gave REG their first win.
====================
Week 5: Correct (3), Incorrect (2), Exact (0)
Overall: 15/25, 60%
====================With 5 weeks already in the books, what have we learned from the first half of the season?
Well, we'll start with the East. We can see SP means business. Obviously it was the right decision to switch these guys over during the pre-season; the other teams of the West wouldn't stand much of a chance. With their comfortable 5-0 lead, will anyone be able to keep up and bring them down? The other teams in the division pretty much remain in a deadlock, with SS down in the bottom having a rough time competing with the rest.
Over in the West, it's not quite the same story; at least there's a battle going on for the top spot. X8B feels right at home again with their comeback into interleagues. But, they showed many signs of weakness against their divisional rivals DS, who has also been quite impressive in their own ways - and it shows in the record. And the other teams? Not so impressive. SPS, UO, and REG have fallen and find themselves in the bottom looking up.
All that being said, there's still time to turn things around. I hope you're comfortable because there are no more league switches allowed. Good luck in the final 5 weeks.
Xtreme8Ball vs Ultimate Outlaws
Last week X8B went against DS and majorly came up short, losing it 1-5. Right after the first game turned out to be a runbreak again them, X8B surely realized things weren't going to be pretty. Loss after loss kept piling up as shots were missed and DS capitalized. X8B simply got outplayed as they couldn't get anything going. Only positive thing coming from this match was that David was able to salvage one win in the final game. With this loss, they've handed DS the top spot for the time being. X8B will need to regroup and come in wanting the win against UO as they try to keep ugly from turning into uglier.
Just like X8B, UO also picked up a loss last week, and in pretty similar fashion, going 1-5 against 8BC. It was a tough match for UO going against a team from the East, and 8BC proved to be just too strong for UO to do much of anything. Dawn picked up the sole win in Game 3, but other than that, it wasn't pretty. They'll need to figure it out in the second half if they hope to get into the playoffs. They're best chance is for SPS to stumble along the way. One big problem is that nobody is stepping up to shine, yet, so it's pretty much a mess. X8B showed some signs of weakness last week, so I wouldn't be too surprised if UO is able to make this one close.
Prediction: 4-3 X8B
Simply Pool Souls vs Straightshots
Last week SS went up against SP, and let's just say it was pretty ugly. They ended up losing 1-5, and just had everything going against them. Scott had an early 8 ball in Game 1 after a perfectly place snook probably would have won it; Pita got ranbroke by Craig in Game 3; another early 8 for Nhan in Game 5; and Shell had an unfortunate scratch in Game 6 which cost her that one. It wasn't all bad news for SS, however. Pretty much everybody on the table, including myself, was surprised so see Ant making a comeback into interleagues. He instantly becomes the one to beat on this SS team as he tries to help turn things around. They're desperate for a win, and SPS gives them a great chance to do just that.
SPS played Regul8ors last week and put themselves in a position they surely didn't want to see themselves in. After Jason won the first game, SPS lost the next 3 and went down 1-3. Now, if they were playing any other team, that 1-3 would likely result in a loss for the entire match. However, REG kept their streak going and showed short-handed again; a relief for SPS as they picked up two more credits and Jason won in the tiebreaker. With this win, SPS now finds themselves in the middle of the pack. As long as they don't screw up royally, they should keep this spot all the way through the remainder of the season. First they take on SS, though, a cross-division match which I'm putting them in as the major major underdogs.
Prediction: 4-2 SS
Regul8ors vs Deadstrokes
REG went 3-4 last week with SPS. They would have perhaps won it too if they didn't show up shorthanded. That's two weeks in a row now that REG has had a chance to win but ended up losing due to a lack of players. I have't figured out this team yet, if there even is something to figure out. Their wins make it seem like they have what it takes to make a comeback, but I just don't think REG has the depth to pull that off. On a brighter note, Brian has returned from wherever and I'm guessing he'll resume captain duties for the final half. Their chances against DS lies in his hands. If he can pull his guys together and show up with 6, a doubtful upset might be in the making.
Last week DS played X8B and dominated practically the whole match. After their run break in Game 1, the tone was set. Their opponents made a few mistakes and DS capitalized on every opportunity. They came in with guns blazing and that's exactly what they needed to do. After going up 5-0 quickly, they ended up losing the last. But still, this 5-1 victory is exactly what they needed to do to shoot themselves up into first place. Over the past 3 weeks, DS has only lost 3 games. They have certainly turned up the heat as they're emerging as favorites to win the division. As long as DS doesn't take this match easily, REG shouldn't cause many problems for them.
Prediction: 5-1 DS
Sexy Poolerz vs Break and Run
Last week SP had a really fortunate showing with SS. They ended up winning 5-1, but besides Craig's run break, SS did all the hard work for them practically. With two early 8's and near-end scratch going in their favor, it was more bad luck for their opponent's then good luck for them. Anyways, a win is a win however you luck at it, and it was a win which pushed them even further in the lead. SP faces up against BNR this week, again. They won it 4-2 the first time around, and if SP's best show up in top form, I don't see why they can't repeat that Week 1 victory again tonight.
BNR faced off against FR last week and it wasn't so pretty. It was split after two games, lost the third and then picked up 2 wins going up 3-2. They looked to have it won in Game 6 quite easily, but with a missed fairly routine top middle shot right before the 8 ball, the match was dragged into a Game 7. It was Travis and Daru as expected, but Daru couldn't close it out this time around. Tough pill to swallow when they had the win in hand. If BNR can win this tonight with SP, they'll have a sure-win against UO. So if they want to get back in the hunt, now is the time to make their move.
Prediction: 4-2 SP
8BallCrushers vs Freedom
Last week 8BC played UO and won it 5-1 without much of a misstep. After the score went 1-1, they picked up the rest of the games. 8BC has turned out to be the pleasant surprise in this division as they're doing very well to keep up with the bigger-named teams. They have 4-straight divisional games in line, so they're going to need to make sure to stay on top of their games before they slip down the standings. Niks has become the new captain as he replaces JJ's spot. I'm sure he'll give it his all to keep his team in playoff contention. They lost vs FR 4-3 back in Week 1, but maybe things will be different this time around.
FR played BNR last week and ended up winning 4-3. It was Travis who saved the day yet again in Game 7, beating out Daru. But, I'm sure they're secretively thanking BNR for faltering back in Game 6 which opened the door for a second opportunity for Travis as he had it lost in that game versus Ross. This tiebreaker match with BNR is FR's fourth for the season. Surely Petey would prefer not to stress himself out like that, but what can you do? With Matt in the box for non-reports, hopefully someone shows up to fill his spot, or else this match with 8BC could very easily be lost.
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