by InsidePOOL Staff

Brandon Shuff triumphed in the inaugural National Championship Series 8-Ball Championship, coming through the one-loss side to claim not only the $2,700 cash prize but $3,000 in expenses to the World 8-Ball Championship event in April. This event was hosted by the Golden Nugget Casino in Las Vegas, NV. 

Brandon Shuff defeated Jui-Lung Chen to claim the Inaugural National Championship Series 8-Ball Championship title.

Shuff, a regular player on the Tiger Pool Tour in the Northeast, suffered a first-round loss and only improved from there, decimating all of his opponents to the point where he was one of the final six players to return the final day of the event. In his first match of the day, he survived a hill-hill battle against Reggie Cutler and then went on to best Walter Glass 8-4. From there he met Austin Murphy in the semifinals. Murphy missed a few shots in the early stages of the match, and with some excellent play on his side, Shuff was able to win 8-4 to advance to the finals.

The final match was an extended race to 13. The undefeated Jui-Lung Chen awaited Shuff, who had been warming to the challenge with his trek through the west side of the chart. However, despite playing well all week, both players experienced considerable misses, though they remained either tied or with a one-rack difference throughout almost the entire match. Finally Shuff pulled ahead to the hill 12-11 and then took the next rack for the win. 

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