Davis and Ussery split top prizes on The Pool Series Stop #10 in Statesville, NC
In what would have been Mike Davis, Jr.’s second straight win on The Pool Series, he and BJ Ussery, Jr. opted out of a final and split the top two cash prizes at the series’ stop #10 this past weekend (Sat., June 14). The $1,000-added, first 8-ball event of the season drew 32 entrants to […]
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Mike Davis
In what would have been Mike Davis, Jr.’s second straight win on The Pool Series, he and BJ Ussery, Jr. opted out of a final and split the top two cash prizes at the series’ stop #10 this past weekend (Sat., June 14). The $1,000-added, first 8-ball event of the season drew 32 entrants to Fast Action Billiards in Statesville, NC and marked the midway point of the 2025 season. Competitors in the Series have been earning points throughout the season in hopes of becoming one of the Series’ top 64 players, who’ll qualify for a $2,500-added Tour Championship when the stop’s 20 events conclude. Davis is the current leader in that quest, by a wide margin, having earned more points than the next three on the list, combined.
The 8-ball event used the Race to 2/Best of 3 Set formats, which allows for only two kinds of scores, either double hill (2-1) or shutout (2-0). A bracket mechanism for recording the progress of individual matches within the (potential) best-of-three-game sets has yet to be devised, so it’s not possible to determine how much of a struggle (or lack of one) each best-of-three set represents.
Davis won four best-of-three set matches, advancing to the hot seat match. He opened by defeating Lucky Luciano and Gene Ziegler 2-0. He gave up a single set (2-1) in his victories over Runal Bhatt and in one of the winners’ side semifinals, Danny Jones. Ussery, in the meantime, also bound for the hot seat match, won three of his four to get there by set shutouts over Lee Steelman and Joe Hyatt, Jr. before giving up a set to Michael Robertson. He advanced to a winners’ side semifinal and shut out Hank Powell to join Davis in the hot seat match. Davis won his third 2-0 set and claimed the seat.
On the loss side, Powell picked up Runal Bhatt, who’d followed his loss to Davis with set shutouts over Hyatt and Ketan Patel. Jones drew a rematch against Clint Clark, whom he’d defeated in the second round. Clark would end up winning six straight, five by set-shutouts. The only competitor to chalk up a set against him was Michael Robertson in the match just prior to the rematch against Jones.
Clark won his fifth on the loss side, successfully navigating his rematch against Jones by shutting him out (in sets). Bhatt downed Howell 2-1 and joined Clark in the quarterfinals. Clark shut him out to face Ussery in the semifinals.
Clark battled, chalking up a single set in that semifinal, but Ussery chalked up the two sets he needed for another shot at Davis. He didn’t get that shot, as the two negotiated a split of the top two prizes.
Tour director Justin Clark thanked the ownership and staff at Fast Action Billiards for their hospitality, along with sponsors Dead Stroke Media, InkWell Design, Portico Licensed General Contractors, Pool Drs., The Round About Grill, TXO Custom Cues, Supreme Cues, and Barry McDonald (Ameris Bank Mortgage NMLS 1577952).
Next up on The Pool Series (Points event #11) will be a $1,000-added, 10-Ball Open event, hosted by The Smokin’ Cue in Charlotte, NC.
