MCA Crowns 2014 Champions

Dylan Goodwin (L) presents the Pro Championship Shield to Matt Griffith (R)BELTON, MO -- The second annual MCA Championship was held yesterday in Belton, Missouri with Matt Griffith taking the MCA Pro Championship with a 26-19 win over Jason Johnson. It was Griffith's second straight tourney win and he is now riding an eight-game winning streak and is undefeated in MCA play.

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The overall Pro Race standings remained unchanged as Dylan Goodwin finished with 442 points on a 17-5 record to claim the Goodwin World Media MCA Pro Points race and the top prize of $100. Greg Adams took second with 320 points and a 10-8 record to claim second place and a $50 payout. Ron Millican held third place with 278 points on a 5-11 record and a $30 payout.

In Pro Final, Griffith seemed to have a slight advantage as the game moved under 30 minutes, but Johnson went on a daring AC-style attack that allowed him to piece together a break that started at hoop five, but relaxed on wicket six and stuffed it. It was a key opportunity lost, but the game was still up for grabs until a few minutes later when Johnson tried to steal a break with a 30-foot hit in near the stake. He missed the target ball and unfortunately hit the peg dead center. That gave Griffith four balls to work with and from there he was able to control and close out the game.

In the Gold Division, Bill Berg took the tournament title with a 21-12 win over Taylor Airrington. Airrington held on to the overall Gold Points lead though with 212 points on a 6-3 record to claim the 2014 MCA Gold Series Championship. Berg took second with 168 points on a 6-2 record.

Gold and Silver Shield SweepDi Berg provided the best storyline of the day as she moved through the Silver Division bracket. After taking a first-round win over Darin Watson 19-14, she moved on to the final with a 22-8 win over Wanda Jackson. That meant Silver points leader Nate Benz (unable to play in the event) was within reach as Berg needed a manageable 23 points in the final to snatch the overall title.

Berg took on Steve Jackson, who was making his second straight final appearance. Berg came up short on the points race, but she did claim the Silver Championship Shield with a hard-fought 13-10 win. Benz had 214 points on the year with a 10-2 record to claim the first annual Silver Cup, while Berg notched 205 points and a 6-8 record.

In the Six Ball event, Paul Miller got the early break and pegged out to claimed the Six-Ball Championship after roughly 30 minutes of play. Miller narrowly missed the cut for the Pro Playoff, but still made the trip up to Belton for the event. Dylan Goodwin took second with a pegout in last turns. Greg Clouse, Jason Johnson, Deborah Millican and Ron Millican rounded out the Six Ball final line-up.

NOTES

• With the Six-Ball event, the 2014 MCA Championship had 22 participants, which again set a a record for entries for an MCA Series event.
• Matt Griffith ended Paul Miller's 13-game win streak in the final at the Kansas City Open and he is now chasing that same record as he has notched eight straight wins.
• Jason Johnson won the final of the Gold Division at the KC Open and then followed with an appearance in yesterday's Pro Final.
• Katherine Goodwin and Renee Potter saw their first official MCA action as participants in one of the Six Ball qualifiers.

PRO CHAMPIONSHIP

Quarterfinals
Matt Griffith 27, Dylan Goodwin 14
Greg Clouse 21, Jodi Adams 16
Ron Millican 24, Deborah Millican 20
Jason Johnson 24, Greg Adams 22

Semifinals
Matt Griffith 23, Greg Clouse 22
Jason Johnson 20, Ron Millican 16

Final
Matt Griffith 26, Jason Johnson 19

GOLD CHAMPIONSHIP

Semifinals
Taylor Airrington 26, Keith Berg 25
Bill Berg 22, Debbie Breeden 18

Final
Bill Berg 21, Taylor Airrington 12

SILVER CHAMPIONSHIP

Quarterfinals
Justin Marciniak - Bye
Steve Jackson 18, Elizabeth Goodwin 6
Wanda Jackson 24, Gwyneth Bowen 10
Di Berg 19, Darin Watson 14

Semifinals
Steve Jackson 8, Justin Marciniak 4
Di Berg 22, Wanda Jackson 8

Finals
Di Berg 13, Steve Jackson 10