Left to right: Buckeye Legend’s Perry DiCastri, Louie Lofty, Joe Frederico, and Lee
Wright; and PCBC’s Blair Dreyfus, Mike Finnegan, Don Moser, and Dan Harris (photo
by Joe Browner)
Dan Harris, Travel Team Coordinator
On April 22, the PebbleCreek Billiards Club (PCBC) hosted the Buckeye Legends (BL) in a spirited 8-ball rematch at PebbleCreek’s Salerno Billiards Room. Both tables looked sharp and freshly dressed in gleaming new green felt. Coming off a loss in their previous meeting, PCBC was hungry for revenge—and they delivered. The home team won both matches, winning 24 games to BL’s 20.
The opening match featured one-on-one 8-ball series: each of PCBC’s four players faced each of BL’s four players twice, for a total of 32 games. The score stayed razor-close throughout. It all came down to the final shot of the final game, where PCBC’s Mike Finnegan stayed ice-cold under pressure, sinking a long 8-ball shot to seal a hard-fought 17-15 victory for the home team. BL’s Joe Frederico was the standout performer of the match, winning all eight of his games. On the PCBC side, Don Moser and Dan Harris led the charge, each picking up six wins out of eight.
For the second match, the format switched to ranked head-to-head pairings based on first-match results. Each pair played three games, for a total of 12 games in the time remaining. PCBC jumped out to a commanding 7-2 lead, highlighted by Dan Harris taking two games from the previously undefeated Frederico. But BL mounted a late rally, winning the final three games, but it wasn’t enough. PCBC held on for a 7-5 victory.
The afternoon was filled with plenty of good-natured banter and outstanding sportsmanship from both sides. The rematch is already scheduled for next month—and after this one, it’s guaranteed to be another thriller.