Dechaine and Meglino Score Ultimate Wins
J. Pechauer Southeast 9-Ball Open Tour / Fort Pierce, FL
by Lea Andrews
The J. Pechauer Southeast Open 9-Ball Tour made its way November 7-8 to Ultimate Billiards in Fort Pierce, FL, where Mike Dechaine topped the open event and Anthony Meglino dominated the amateur/semi-pro division. The $1,000-added open event drew 16 players, while the$500-added amateur drew 17.
After suffering an early loss, Dechaine moved through the left side of the bracket while the final four on the winners’ side emerged. Tour director Tommy Kennedy got past Mike Hutchison 7-5 to reach the hot seat match, where he faced Jerry Calderon, who’d edged out Hunter Lombardo 7-6. Kennedy claimed the hot seat with a decisive 9-4 win, sending Calderon to the semifinals to try to fight his way back.
On the one-loss side, Curtis Kelley faced Lombardo after putting Meglino in seventh 7-4, but that score got flipped on him against Lombardo and he landed in fifth. Dechaine, meanwhile, was making his way through Randy Epperson 7-2 and Hutchison 7-5 to face Lombardo in the quarterfinals, where he prevailed 9-7. Holding Calderon to six games, Dechaine faced Kennedy in the single race-to-11 final set.
Dechaine got to a 3-0 lead, but Kennedy rallied, managing to get within one at 9-8. Seeing the out that would tie the score, Kennedy went for four-rail position for the 3 ball, managing to pocket a tough 2, but the Cue ball found a pocket instead of the fourth rail, leaving Dechaine out and on the hill. Dechaine earned his win in the next rack, taking ball in hand to make an unlikely, thin-cut 1-9 combination.
In the amateur event, Meglino breezed past Tony Odonnell 7-1 to face in the hot seat match Prescott Buckwold, who’d squeaked by Bill Mallen 7-6. On the left side of the bracket, Johnny Aguilar moved past Mel Rowe 5-3 and Odonnell 5-3 to face in the quarterfinals Matt Holland, who’d notched wins over David Pencar 5-4 and Mallen 5-2. Their hill-hill battle ended in Aguilar’s favor, and he moved on to Buckwold, who’d fallen 7-5 in the hot seat match. Buckwold earned his rematch with Meglino by holding Aguilar to three games, but there wasn’t much he could do in the single race-to-9 final set to earn his revenge. Meglino offered few chances and didn’t allow Buckwold to hit the string even once, earning his win decisively 9-0.
The J. Pechauer Southeast Open 9-Ball Tour made its way November 7-8 to Ultimate Billiards in Fort Pierce, FL, where Mike Dechaine topped the open event and Anthony Meglino dominated the amateur/semi-pro division.
Open Results:
1st Mike Dechaine$700
2nd Tommy Kennedy $400
3rd Jerry Calderon $300
4th Hunter Lombardo $200
Amateur/Semi-Pro Results
1st Anthony Meglino $405
2nd Prescott Buckwold $275
3rd Johnny Aguilar $300
4th Matt Holland $200