ROWEL Mariano won all five of his matches to claim the championship of the New Bamboo Bar January Pool Tournament on Sunday at Saipan Vegas.
Rowel Mariano lines up for the shot during the championship of the New Bamboo Bar January Pool Tournament at Saipan Vegas on Sunday.
Photo by James F. Sablan Jr.
The highlights of his play were precision, ball placement, confidence and a cool head.
In round one, Mariano faced Lito Pangilinan who fell into trouble early in the match but shifted to defense midway, putting up walls, hoping to force Mariano to scratch.
However, Mariano played smart and slithered through the cracks to connect his shots. After several exchanges, he found the 8-ball in the pocket to grasp the win and send Pangilinan to the losers bracket.
Mariano then beat Rey Hermogenes and moved forward to lock sticks with Jerry Soriano in round 3.
Soriano gave it his all, but a missed shot allowed Mariano to close the game with back-to-back shots, earning another win and securing a seat in the semifinals.
It was the battle of the undefeated in the next round between Mariano and Senen Pangilinan.
The two were evenly matched and it came down to the player who was more determined to win.
In the end, Pangilinan failed to deliver and it was Mariano who called game to advance to the finals.
Pangilinan, for his part, bested Soriano in the final round of the losers bracket to set a rematch against Mariano.
Pangilinan played valiantly, but Mariano was simply unstoppable as he continued to sink his balls with ease to defeat Pangilinan once again and claim the championship and the $500 cash prize.
Rowel Mariano, second right, poses with Senen Pangilinan, right, Nolan Cultura, left, and Jerry Soriano.
Contributed photo
Pangilinan settled for second place and went home with $250 cash while Soriano received $100 cash for his third place finish.
Special guest speaker Juancho Mendoza shared his appreciation, thanking all the participants for making the event happen.
