Brian Hunter Grinds from the One-Loss Side with Eleven Straight Wins to Take the Predator Tour’s Am 9-Ball Event at Steinway Billiards
January 17, 2012
Dave Ascolese (3rd), Brian Hunter (1st), Ray Feliciano (2nd)
The Predator Pro/Am Tour’s 2012 Season kicked off Saturday, January 14th, at Steinway Billiards in Astoria, NY, a pool room which has recently helped positively contribute to a surge in competitive pool in Queens, NY. In addition to becoming the newest host location for the Predator Tour and William Finnegan’s two weekly tournaments on Mondays and Wednesdays, the management have invested in new Simonis Cloth and have stepped up their equipment maintenance… in effort to cater to aspiring and top talent.
The inaugural event of the 2012 Predator Tour season began at noon on Saturday with the Amateur event, which brought in an impressive total of 81 players participating in the tour stop. Tour Founder Tony Robles and Tour Director William Finnegan invited the top 16 players back on Sunday, to play in the Sunday Money rounds, where each player was in the money, and each match built with excitement and meaning.
Each tour stop’s chart has an A/B bracket as well as an C/D bracket, giving each level an opportunity to stand out amongst their peers. Game on the wire spots keep the players from different rankings competitive.
The 81 participants were all vying to start the season off on the right foot, and try to take an early lead in the season’s points standings, earn bragging rights, and make it to the cash. Several notable players went into battle in the A/B division, such as Lionel Rivera, Steve Wright, Eric Tang, John Alicea, Jack Smith, Tony Liang, Wellington Reyes, and the 16-year-old phenom, former Junior National Champion Briana Miller. Briana, who is also a multiple-time JPNEWT Regional Tour Champion, came in at B+ and eventually was raised to an A for putting on a remarkable performance.
Briana Miller
There were many players participating in the Amateur 9-Ball event who were digging deep and playing hard for a chance to win the 1st prize of $1,225 and start the season at #1. Other stand-out performances were seen from Trevor Heal and Steven Wright, who both brought a combination of fearless shotmaking and a patient approach to grind out several clutch sets, which stirred up great buzz.
Lionel Rivera, Alex Platonov, and Dave Ascolese (who had impressive finish in 3rd place) also left it all on the table in their push in this event. Several ‘C’ class players made a statement, showing they they have what it takes to win tough matches including Junior Singh, Wellington Reyes, and Bob Schlott, who had several impressive wins. 15-year-old top junior talent Darwin Vergara also showed a lot of heart, and wowed a few people with how his game has improved.
Darwin Vergara
Darwin mentioned that one of the reasons he is playing better is because he has recently been sponsored by Steinway Billiards, giving the young aspiring talent free table time to practice and hone his game. His father, Mhet Vergara, also participated this weekend, in the Open/Pro Event.
Taking the lead role in the winner’s bracket was Ray Feliciano, who went through undefeated wins over Niko Berdzeniskvili 7-1, Omar Chavez 7-6, Marvin St. John 7-1, Fabulous 7-1, Junior Singh 7-5, and Dave Ascolese 8-3 earning him the hot seat and a position in the final match.
Brian Hunter would be the player to eventually face off against Ray Feliciano in the finals, after making an impressive run through the one-loss side. Brian lost his very first match to Rikki Ragoonanan at 7-5 before grinding through the west side of the bracket. Brian’s road to the finals included wins over Rafael Ortiz 7-3, Darwin Vergara 7-6, Jerry Tarantola 7-3, Dan Cintron 7-4, Eric Tang 7-5, Tony Sinacore 7-6, Steve Wright 7-5, Lionel Rivera 7-2, Bob Schlott 7-6 and Dave Ascolese 7-4.
This run of ten consecutive wins left Brian Hunter feeling confident that he could defeat Ray Feliciano, who was having a breakout event. In the finals, Ray Feliciano started out slow, while Brian Hunter took control of the pace and momentum of the set. Ray was able to start to settle in and fight back, and fought hard for a potential come from behind win.
Brian Hunter clutched out during several key moments to end up capturing the first Predator 9-Ball Tour event of the season in a exciting hill-hill final match. Brian was very impressive in showing a lot of grit and determination as he fought back to win the event, despite losing his first match. Congratulations to Predator 9-Ball Tour’s Stop #1 Winner Brian Hunter, who starts out the season ranked #1.
Dave Ascolese (3rd), Brian Hunter (1st), Ray Feliciano (2nd)
Final Results
1st: Brian Hunter – $1,225
2nd: Ray Feliciano – $900
3rd: Dave “Devil Dave” Ascolese – $650
4th: Bob Schlott – $450
5th/6th: Junior Singh,Wellington Reyes – $300
7th-8th: Brian Russell, Lionel Rivera – $200
9th-12th: Mike Fisher, Steve Wright, Alex Platonou, Fabulous – $125
13th-16th: Alex Osipov, Tony Sinacore, Niko Berdzeniskvili, Trevor Heal – $80
Click here to read the results of the Open/Pro Event, where Jorge Rodriguez also came back from the on-loss side to defeat Jennifer Barretta in the finals… and check out more photos from both the Pro and Am events below…
The next stop on the Predator Pro-Am Tour will be held on February 11-12 at Cue Bar in Bayside, NY. Visit www.PredatorProAmTour.com for the full schedule and tour information.
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