McGee Fends Off Champion for GSBT Victory
Great Southern Billiard Tour / Fayetteville, NC
by Lea Andrews
Out of the 40 people who braved the first (and potentially only) snow of the season to compete for the cash at the December 20-21 Great Southern Billiard Tour stop, it was A-ranked Jared McGee who came out on top. The $1,500-added event drew some of the south’s best amateur players to King Street Billiards in Fayetteville, NC.
McGee got past fellow A-player Charlie Brinson 9-3 to get to the hot seat match, where he faced Sidney Champion, who’d blown past JR Poste 9-1. Both McGee and Champion fought hard for the hot seat, but it was McGee who claimed it 9-8.
On the left side of the bracket, Walt Bolden notched a strong 9-5 win over AA-ranked Sam Monday, who was racing to 11, to face Tony Williams, who’d gotten past B-ranked Steve Wiles 7-4. Williams reached his own hill of six games against Bolden, but Bolden marked up the final game, moving on 9-6 to meet up with Brinson. Meanwhile, Joe Cosky moved past B-ranked Roy Payton 7-5 to face Steve Ladner, who’d edged out fellow B-player Thomas Tew 7-6. After holding Ladner to three games, Cosky faced B-ranked Poste, keeping him to five games to advance to the quarterfinals against Bolden, who’d planted Brinson in fifth 9-4. Another 9-4 victory for Bolden put Cosky in fourth and Bolden into the semifinals against Champion, who, unfortunately for Bolden, seemed to be on a mission to get back to McGee. And get to him he did, ending Bolden’s run 9-5.
In the first set of the true double-elimination final match, Champion avenged his earlier loss to McGee 9-7. In the second set, though, after a long weekend of play, a fatigued Champion couldn’t make the games come together, and McGee avenged his own loss and then some, allowing Champion to hit the string just once as he shot his way to victory 9-1.
Out of the 40 people who braved the first (and potentially only) snow of the season to compete for the cash at the December 20-21 Great Southern Billiard Tour stop, it was A-ranked Jared McGee who came out on top.
Results:
1st Jared McGee $1,000
2nd Sidney Champion $500
3rd Walt Bolden $250
4th Joe Cosky $150
5th Charlie Brinson $85
JR Poste
7th Tony Williams $40
Steve Ladner