Late Sunday night concluded the 2015 “Best of the West” Pong Championships. If you haven’t been following the action, here’s a recap: This past Friday, June 5th, started the festivities with a $2,000 kick-off tournament, in which Brandon Marx (AZ) and Mark Pimentel (CA) clenched the title for the second consecutive year. Read more about their win here.
On to the Main Event:
Prelims began on Saturday, June 6th, and told another tale of Marx as Arizona led the way with a (22-8, +50) record to secure the number 1 seed heading into the playoff bracket on Day 3. However, the Vegas squad foreshadowed Day 3 drama pulling in right behind the AZ squad with a (20-10, +45) record.
Day 3 produced an upset in the 2nd round when the Ocean Grown Pong squad knocked off the reigning 4-time BOW champion Nor Cal team. The San Diego Kingz, led by Mark Pimentel, put down former WSOBP Champion Byron Findley’s new Californian team in the 2nd round to set up a semi-final match-up against the Las Vegas Kick Rocks team. The Arizona squad eventually sent the OGP team into the 3rd place game from the semi-final match-up that ensued following their upset of Nor Cal.
The Vegas boys prevailed against Pimentel’s San Diego Kingz, which put them in a position to win Las Vegas’s first BOW title upon defeating Arizona.
The Arizona men looked to be the favorite after 4 rounds of finals play (best of 25), leading the Las Vegas team 11-9 going into the final round; needing just 2 more wins to secure the 2015 Best Of The West Championship. Arizona took game 1 in the last round of play and it seemed inevitable that AZ would be claiming both the Men’s and Women’s titles. However, the Vegas squad had other ideas as they fought back to secure the next 3 games to set up a decisive game 5 (or 25) for all the marbles!
Dante Yell & Mike Wan (Vegas) vs. TJ Robinson & Vance Anzaldua (Arizona). Its triple OT and Arizona must rebuttal 2 cups in order to force a fourth overtime. Vance Anzaldua knocks down the two-rack to give his teammate an opportunity to keep the game alive. Robinson’s shot falls short along with Arizona’s title hopes.
Congratulations to the 2015 Best Of The West Main Event Champions:
Las Vegas Kick Rocks!
Players Include: Rickey Shepard (Captain), Justin Spurrier, Mike Wan, Brandon Herbert, Sam Henshaw, Curtis Armistead, Travis Parnell, Dante Yell, Ethan Wald, and Henry Pham
BOW ladies:
The Arizona ladies squad also found themselves in the finals vs. a familiar foe in the San Diego/So Cal squad. After a rough preliminary showing, the San Diego team picked up their play enough during the playoffs to will themselves back to the finals but still fell just short of defending their crown. This is the 4th time in 5 years that the Arizona ladies have taken the BOW hardware home with them.
Congratulations to the Arizona ladies squad on your 2015 Best Of The West win!
Players Include: Priscilla Kusmeriz (Captain), Shannon Kroll, Ariel Albrightt, Katie Ancona, Tracy Harsha, and Tonisha Harvin
Arguably, a just as impressive performance on the ladies front comes from one of only two female participants playing in the BOW Main Event. OGP’s Roxanne Huey led her team to a series win vs. the San Diego Kingz that ultimately resulted in her team cashing out with a 3rd place finish.
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Can’t get enough of 10v10 beer pong action? No worries, The Best Of The Midwest (BOMW) is right around the corner! This fall, September 11th-13th, teams from across the midwest will take flight to Chicago, IL, to determine who is the Best Of The Midwest!!
Check out BPONG.COM or HOMEbarchicago.com for more BOMW VI. information, or visit the Official BOMW VI. event page at: https://www.facebook.com/events/873359099390775/
