ESCANABA — Hunter DuPont nearly missed Saturday’s Great Lakes Youth Pool tournament.

The 20-year-old Carney resident learned Friday the tourney was returning following a three-year absence.

“My uncle told me about it yesterday,” he said. “I didn’t realize it was being held today. I would have been disappointed if I didn’t come to it. I love the game. I had a lot of fun.”

The last-minute decision paid off as DuPont went undefeated in the age 17-20 division of the 32nd annual tournament, defeating 20-year-old Anna Scheeneman in the championship match.

“I told myself to not worry about the other player,” he added. “You’re trying to beat the table and not your opponent. It’s about spending time on the table. You try to take advantage of the moment.”

Scheeneman also earned a huge trophy and cue stick as the highest female finisher in that division.

“This is really a fun tournament,” she said. “I didn’t really come to win. I came to have fun. I practiced a lot, and my dad helped me a lot. I was excited to play in the championship match. The competition was very good. I just wanted to play my game, and it worked pretty well. This was really a fun tournament. It was awesome. It’s a great way for the community to get together.”

Twelve-year-old James Joseph of Hermansville went undefeated through the 8-12 division with a victory over nine-year-old Dean Blahnik of Escanaba.

“I’ve only played about 25 games of pool in my life, and I played just for fun,” he said. “It was a pretty tough match. It feels pretty good to win it. First off, I came here to get some practice yesterday. I got familiarized and knew how I was going to play, and my family was here rooting for me. I learned everything from my dad (Aiden). We went to a restaurant (R Place in Spalding) and practiced. I had never played in a pool tournament before. It was a lot of fun.”

Thirteen-year-old Kaden Hillman of New London repeated his success from three years ago, this time going undefeated in the 13-16 division and topping 16-year-old Trevor Larson of Channing for the title.

“I was surprised I won it in three (games),” said Hillman, who took the 8-12 title in 2019. “I came here with confidence. I just didn’t expect to win it that soon. It felt great to be back here. I felt I was shooting very good. I had a long break between my last two matches but never really lost focus and was able to help some kids today. I thought it went pretty well. The best of five (format) worked out pretty good.”

Thirteen-year-old Kalie Berube of Esky also received her due as the highest girls’ finisher in 13-16.

“This was my first tournament and just came here to have fun,” she said. “I learned a lot. I want to come here again.”

The tournament drew 19 players.

“We usually put this on in late March or early April,” said tourney director Don Shope. “We wanted to do that this year, then we had an outbreak of Covid. We’re striving to do it earlier next year. Our numbers were down, but the kids had fun just the same.”

Age 8-12 — 1, James Joseph, Hermansville; 2, Dean Blahnik, Escanaba; 3, Connor Blahnik, Escanaba.

Age 13-16 — 1, Kaden Hillman, New London, Wis.; 2, Trevor Larson, Channing; 3, Cole Chitke, Armstrong Creek, Wis.

Age 17-20 — 1, Hunter DuPont, Carney; 2, Anna Scheeneman, Gladstone; 3, Dominic Thoreson, Crivitz, Wis.

Highest female finishers — Anna Scheeneman (17-20);  Kalie Berube, Escanaba  (13-16).