Haas goes undefeated to win Battle on the Barbox, 9-ball, split bracket event in Mississippi

Brian Johnson, Thomas Haas, Shannon Spring and Daniel McMillin

Brian Johnson and Joby Russ have joined a growing list of companies who are working to “make pool great again,” as Johnson put it, following this past weekend’s (March 8-9) $1,000-added Battle of the Barbox 9-ball/split bracket event that drew 102 entrants to Hot Shots Billiards in Byram, Mississippi. Their company, Moneyball Productions, has, according to Johnson, poured their fair share of “blood, sweat and tears” into making it so. They have also signed on to the use of split brackets, allowing competitors to play in handicapped events against opponents at or near their own skill level. Their previous event (Feb. 24-25) featured Robb Saez coming from the loss side to claim that event title (he got within two matches of winning this one).

Thomas Haas, coming off his best recorded earnings year with us since he joined the AZBilliards database in 2017 with a 13^th place finish in the Joss NE 9-Ball Tour’s Hudson Valley Fall Classic, went undefeated to win this past weekend’s event. He’s been climbing steadily up the AZBilliards Money Leaderboard over the past 4+ years; from #389 in 2021 to #148 last year, when he recorded victories at the KC Clayton Memorial on Long Island and the 2024 MD State 9-Ball Championships. This marks his first 2025 win. Happening in Mississippi, it proves, if nothing else, that he’s a well-traveled ‘road warrior.’  

As noted, this 9-Ball Battle on the Barbox involved two brackets, split into Highside (34 entrants) and Lowside (68 entrants) skill levels. Haas went undefeated to claim the Highside title and then, in an overall event final, defeated Shannon Spring, who’d won the Lowside title. Spring joins our AZBilliards database for the first time with this win.

Lowside tale first. Shannon Spring went undefeated to the hot seat through five opponents, the first two of which, versus John Manasco and Heath Bean, went double hill. He then gave up only one each to Trenee Freeman and Victor Perez to draw Johnny Fox in one of the winners’ side semifinals. Michael Johnese, in the meantime, gave up only two racks in his first three matches; one each to Allen Templeton and Corey Johnson and none at all against Jason Blakely, before facing the eventual (Lowside) runner-up, Ethan Richardson in one of the winners’ side quarterfinals. The two battled to double hill before Richardson moved to the loss side and Johnese advanced to face Roger Lawrence in the other winners’ side semifinal.

Johnese defeated Lawrence, double hill, and was joined in the hot seat match by Spring, who’d defeated Fox 4-1. Spring and Johnese battled to double hill, with Spring prevailing to claim the  seat. 

Fox arrived on the loss side and picked up Richardson, who’d defeated Scott Campbell, double hill and Dan Campbell 3-2 (Dan racing to 4). Richardson shut Fox out and advanced to the quarterfinals. Lawrence came over and drew Mike Mounce, who’d defeated Eddie Fortenberry 3-2 (Fortenberry racing to 4) and Victor Perez, double hill. Mounce won a double-hill match against Lawrence and joined Richardson in the quarterfinals.

Richardson and Mounce battled to double-hill as well, with Richardson advancing to shut out Johnese in the semifinals. Richardson took the opening set of the true double-elimination final 3-2 (Spring racing to 4), but Spring fought back to double hill in the second set and won the deciding game to win the Lowside title and punch his ticket to the overall event final.

Haas and Jacob Watson battle twice to claim Highside title

Haas faced five opponents in six matches on his march to the finish line. He got by Jeremy Shaw 9-2, Hunter Griggs 9-5 and Brian Rutland 9-4 before having his skill level (and race) reduced to 8 for his winners’ side semifinal match versus Gary Armstrong (racing to 5 at the time). Haas shut Armstrong out and advanced to the hot seat match.  Jacob Watson, in the meantime, racing initially to 8, got by Ken Freeman (1), Tanner Floore (3) and in his winners’ side semifinal, now racing to 7, fought and defeated Robb Saez, double hill (7-9; Saez racing to 10). Haas and Watson fought to double hill, as well, with Haas claiming the seat.

Had you been there, you might have considered Robb Saez to be a fair bet to come back from the loss side to challenge Haas in the finals. Didn’t happen. Saez came over and picked up Walt Edmundson, who’d lost his opening match and was working on a five-match, loss-side winning streak. Saez put a stop to that streak 10-3 and in the quarterfinal, faced Armstrong, who’d defeated Steve Miller 6-1. Armstrong started the quarterfinal against Saez with five “beads on the wire” in a race to 10 and he used them all to down Saez 5-7. 

Armstrong had the same five “beads on the wire” at the start of the semifinals, though this time, racing to 7 against Jacob Watson. He needed more. Watson defeated him 7-2 and earned a second shot against Haas, waiting for him in the hot seat. As had been true in the hot seat match, Watson began the double-elimination final with a single “bead on the wire” in a race to 8. He’d have needed five of them just to get to double hill. Haas claimed the Highside title with an 8-2 win that put him into the overall event title against Spring.

Like its predecessors, the overall event final between Haas and Spring was a double-elimination final, giving Spring two cracks at ‘breaking the (Haas) code.” He got only one. Haas downed him in the opening set 8-2 to claim the Battle on the Barbox title.

Moneyball Productions’ partners, Brian Johnson and Joby Russ, thanked Joss Walker, Lindsey Shanks and their Hot Shots Billiards staff for their hospitality, along with sponsors Brutal Game Gear, Chris Mitchell (pool table services and more), Allen Templeton (cue repair), Jeff Tucker Cues, Billiard Buddy, BAB Vending and digitalpool.com. The next event on the Moneyball Productions’ calendar, scheduled for the weekend of May 31-June 1, will be another Split Bracket, Battle on the Barbox 9-ball event. 

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