By James Sablan
james@mvariety.com
Variety News Staff
THURSDAY night saw a nail-biting showdown at the Last Shot Bar as Last Shot Hobbles Chokie Chokie defeated the Black 8 Fighters, 8-5, propelling Chokie Chokie to second place in the Thursday Division standings of the 2025 SBA Budweiser Open 8-Ball League.
Although the Black 8 Fighters have done well to maintain their No. 1 seat on the leaderboard, the spotlight belonged to Chokie Chokie that night as they were rewarded for a hard-fought contest that was ultimately decided in the Singles and Partners 8-Ball sets later in the evening.
The Fighters established an early lead, showcasing strong individual performances. Key players Jess Farinas, Rey Torres, and Lance Deleon Guerrero bested their respective opponents in the opening Singles 8-Ball set — Deleon Guerrero, in particular, showed composure, leaving Chokie Chokie’s Brian Bernab with three balls left on the table for a 3-1 result.
Despite a rough start, Chokie Chokie quickly recovered in the Partners 8-Ball set, highlighting the depth of their roster as the pairings of Rolly Villanueva and Reno Acade, along with Marc Nelvis and Gerald Cubal, swept both games to even the score at 3-3.
As the match progressed, Chokie Chokie continued to ride the momentum in the second Singles 8-Ball set — a pivotal stretch — as Nelvis and Villanueva fueled a dominant 3-1 run to snatch control of the lead at 6-4.
Defeat may have been inevitable, but the Fighters made sure they went down swinging as Torres and Deleon Guerrero managed to split the second Partners 8-Ball set. However, Chokie Chokie’s Nelvis and Villanueva secured the final Partners 8-Ball game to clinch the victory, 8-5, improving their standing to 143 wins.
True North Noypi Striker2 sits close behind Chokie Chokie on the leaderboard with 142 wins after routing Black 8 Rack N Roll 2, 11-2.
James Sablan has been a sports reporter for Variety since 2013. He was a liberal arts student of Northern Marianas College and covers all local sports.
