By James Sablan
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Variety News Staff
THE Plumeria Division’s top contenders continued to battle for supremacy in the 2026 SBA Budweiser Open 8-Ball League as Tom Yum Fighters and Black8 Crooked Arrow 2 both came out victorious in their respective matches at Black8 Pool Bar and VFW Bar on Thursday night.
Blkd Crooked Arrow 2 is in second place with 29 wins and 23 losses after outlasting Tom Yum Chon Chon, 8-5, at Black8 Pool Bar.
Chon Chon applied early pressure in the initial singles set, with Ceasar Sangalang, Roman Rodriguez, and Eli Mariano each earning wins. Only Crooked Arrow’s Joe Deleon Guerrero managed to respond, preventing a clean sweep as Chon Chon took the set 3-1.
In the opening Partners 8-Ball set, Crooked Arrow 2 found its rhythm as the duos of Ray Matsunaga and Rey Hermogenes, along with Deleon Guerrero and Ken Chen, swept two wins to even the score at 3-3.
After trading blows in the second Singles 8-Ball set, 2-2, Crooked Arrow 2 capitalized on stronger chemistry in the doubles play. Once again, Matsunaga and Hermogenes, along with Chen and Deleon Guerrero, proved too strong for Chon Chon’s Rogel Caruana and Rodriguez, and Jess Guerra and Sangalang, taking control at 7-5.
Matsunaga and Hermogenes then added the finishing touch, winning the final Partners 8-Ball game to secure the 8-5 victory.
The division leaders, Tom Yum Fighters, extended their dominant run to 36 wins and 16 losses after clipping V.F.W. Noypi 2.0, 8-5, at VFW Bar.
The Fighters’ singles lineup proved decisive, opening with a 3-1 run behind Rey Torres, John Lara, and Franklin Osin.
Despite Noypi 2.0 splitting the opening partners set, the Fighters maintained momentum in singles play, as Nolan Cultura and Oliver Gragasin joined Torres for another 3-1 run to stretch the lead to 7-3.
Noypi 2.0 responded with a two-win sweep in the second partners set, but the deficit proved too large to overcome as Torres and Osin closed out the final Partners 8-Ball game to secure the 8-5 win.
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.
