By James Sablan
[email protected]
Variety News Staff
THE Plumeria Division of the 2026 SBA Budweiser Open 8-Ball League hosted a series of highly anticipated team matchups on Thursday with Black8 Crooked Arrow 2 and Tom Yum Eleven Tiger narrowly escaping defeat against their respective opponents in separate venues.
One of the night’s closest contests saw Tom Yum Eleven Tiger edge out Tom Yum Chon Chon, 7-6, at Tom Yum Restaurant.
The Eleven Tigers came out strong in the opening singles flight as Jack Unsa and Warlee Ellama secured back-to-back wins. However, Tom Yum Chon Chon quickly responded, with Roman Rodriguez and Roman Neri also stringing together consecutive wins to level the match at 2-2.
In the second rotation of singles play, Eleven Tiger regained momentum as Unsa, Ellama, and Joseph De Los Santos helped turn the tide with a 3-1 run to take a slight advantage.
In the doubles phase, Chon Chon held their ground. In a tactical exchange, Neri and Ely secured a win in the first Partners 8-Ball match, while Ely later teamed up with Rodriguez to split the second set and keep Chon Chon within reach.
Despite Chon Chon taking the final Partners 8-Ball game, they fell short, with Eleven Tiger ultimately prevailing 7-6.
Black8 Crooked Arrow 2 also edged VFW Noypi 2.0, 7-6, in another tight contest.
Crooked Arrow set the tone early as Ray Matsunaga, Joe Deleon Guerrero, and Ken Chen delivered strong performances in the opening Singles 8-Ball frame to build a 3-1 lead.
However, Noypi 2.0 responded quickly with a two-win surge powered by Mario Vizcaya and Jerry Cepeda, as well as the pairing of Domino Antonio and Mark, to level the score at 3-3.
The match remained tightly contested, highlighted by Cepeda’s “Run the Rack” performance in the second Singles 8-Ball set.
Tied at 6-6, the match was decided in the final Partners 8-Ball game, with Rey Hermogenes and Ray Matsunaga holding their nerve to defeat Vizcaya and Joel Buniag and secure the decisive seventh 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.
