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Derby City Classic: One-Pocket Down to Final 6
Jan 11, 2008, 11:43 AM

Louisville, Ky. -- The Derby City Classic One-Pocket Division final, originally scheduled for Thursday evening, is now set for Friday night, with the semifinal round at 7 p.m. and the final at 9 p.m.

Last night, play was already behind schedule due to the expected scheduling conflicts of players remaining in both one-pocket and 9-ball tournaments.

At 8:30 p.m., a fire alarm went off in the main arena of the Executive West Hotel forcing all playing areas to be evacuated. An hour later, players were allowed to return to the tables, though play did not resume until 9:45 p.m.

After 10 rounds of one-pocket, six players remain. Gabe Owen, Alex Pagulayan, Efren Reyes, Larry Nevel, Tony Mousey and Francisco Bustamante will begin play at 1 p.m. today.

Owen, who defeated Scott Frost and Nevel last night, is the only player who still has the buy-back option.

In the 9-ball division, 151 players remain with another 21 still holding an option to buy back. Third-round play will continue into the afternoon.

With two full days of pool left, predictions for the Master of the Table award might be premature, but a few world-class players are positioning themselves for a run at the $20,000 first prize.

Pagulayan, who earned 36.7 points in the banks division, is unbeaten in 9-ball and in the final six of one-pocket. Owen might be in the best spot, being unbeaten in one-pocket and 9-ball with 21.3 points from banks.