Dan Harris, travel team coordinator
On Jan. 14, the PebbleCreek Billiards Club (PCBC) hosted the Buckeye Legends (BL) for an 8-ball contest in PebbleCreek’s Salerno Billiards Room. BL was determined to avenge last month’s defeat, and did so convincingly, winning both matches and 30 games to PCBC’s 23.
The first match featured a one-on-one 8-ball series, with each of PCBC’s four players facing BL’s four players twice, totaling 32 games. The match was tight at first, with PCBC owning a 9-7 lead halfway through. But then BL flipped the script in a scorching run, winning 12 out of the next 16 games to claim the match 19-13. BL’s Joe Frederico was the top player, winning six of his eight games. Blair Dreyfus and Bill Frustaglia were PCBC’s top players, each winning five out of eight.
The format shifted for the second match to ranked head-to-head pairings (based on first-match wins), with each pair playing five standard 8-ball games (20 games total). This match stayed razor-close all the way, ending in a 10-10 deadlock and triggering a one-game playoff between the match’s top players: BL’s Perry DiCastri (5-0) and PCBC’s Dan Harris (4-1).
Harris won the lag and pocketed a ball on the break. He then sank a couple of more balls but then the cue ball rested in a tight spot. From there Harris and DiCastri were briefly locked in defensive shots, until DiCastri capitalized with a short run capped by a brilliant bank shot that left the cue ball in perfect position for him to easily pocket the 8-ball and clinch the second match for BL.
The afternoon delivered plenty of light-hearted banter and top-notch sportsmanship from both teams. The rematch is already locked in for next month—can’t wait to see what happens next!