Bergman, Kostanian, and Murphy Repeat while Lovely Nets First Junior Nationals Win

Bergman, Kostanian, and Murphy Repeat while Lovely Nets First Junior Nationals WinA trio of reigning champions successfully defended their titles, and one new champion emerged to claim Junior Nationals gold at the 2006 BCA Junior Nationals this week. The day got started with the finals in the 14 & Under Boys and Girls divisions. The 14 & Under Girls division came down to defending champion Chelsea Hardwick from Evansville, IN, going up against Elizabeth Lovely from Centerville, OH. This match was marred by nerves from both players, keeping them from bringing their “A” games to the table. Lovely took an early 2-0 lead, but Hardwick came back to take the next three racks in a row. The third game would be the last game Hardwick won, as Lovely took the next three racks for the 5-3 victory and her first Junior Nationals title.View the tournament brackets The 14 & Under Boys Division featured IPT pro Austin Murphy (pictured below) from Folson, CA, against Ryan Dunn from Hillsboro, TN. Murphy started this match playing cool and confident, taking what the table offered and not forcing anything to control the table, quickly building up a 4-0 lead.
Murphy finally made a mistake, allowing Dunn to the table with ball in hand in the fifth rack. Dunn took full advantage of some uncharacteristic errors by Murphy, and soon the score was tied at 5-all. Dunn had the chance to get to the hill first but missed a 2-9 combo that led to a table run from Murphy to make the score 6-5 Murphy. The twelfth rack gave Dunn another chance, and he ran his way through some difficult shots but missed the 6 ball, and it was all over when Murphy ran the last three balls to defend his 14 & Under Boys title. While both 14 & Under division matches were close until the end, the 19 & Under division matches were one-sided. The 19 & Under Girls division saw defending champion Anna Kostanian (pictured above) from Albuquerque, NM, take on 2004 champion Mary Rakin from Daly City, CA. Though the match started close, Kostanian took control and pounced on every miss by Rakin on her way to a 6-1 lead in the race-to-7 match. Rakin saw a short reprieve in the eighth rack when Kostanian missed the case 9 ball, but the match was over in the next game when Kostanian won a short safety battle and ran out for the 7-2 win. While the 19 & Under Girls division was fairly one-sided, the 19 & Under Boys division was utter domination. Reigning champion Justin Bergman from Fairview, IL, played nearly perfect pool and kept Chad Palmer from Battle Creek, MI, in his chair for the majority of the match. Bergman ran out from everywhere, and Palmer couldn't get a roll to help him get started, allowing Bergman to cruise to an 8-0 lead. Palmer ran a nice rack in the ninth game after a Bergman miss, but a foul on the 1 ball in the following by Palmer was the end, as Bergman confidently ran out the final rack for the 9-1 win. Visit InsidePOOL for the latest news in the sport of billiards and pool.Coverage courtesy of AZbilliards.com

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