Scottsdale, AZ, WPH Press, 3/9/25
Tournament director Don Stewart played host to the 2025 AZ 3-Wall Shootout at Chaparral High School in Scottsdale on the second Saturday in March, featuring eleven teams in the small ball open doubles.
Shorty Ruiz teamed with fellow Race 4 Eight pro Alberto Pizano #TeamShizano, defeating roommates and Race 4 Eight pros Abe Montijo and Ivan Burgos in the semifinals and R48 #4 Leo Canales and Leo’s Phoenix sparring partner David Munoz in the final.
“Shorty was playing the back court very well and Pizano got some kills in the front,” stated Canales after the two-game finals loss. “Shorty was serving well too.”
“It was a close game, but when you play with someone with the quality and talent like Shorty Ruiz, it’s easy to win,” stated Pizano, who has emerged as the best 3-Wall doubles player in small ball and big ball, winning titles in both codes in the last year with Shorty Ruiz, Chopper Hernandez, and Sal Duenas. “I was really confident that if I made a mistake, Shorty was going to fix it.”
“Alberto is a good player,” stated former three-time 3WB champion Ruiz, which is the highest compliment Ruiz has ever given. “He was serving out the left door really well.”
Thank you to Don Stewart for another outstanding AZ 3-Wall Shootout.
Final: Team Shizano def Team Canales/Munoz 15-7, 15-12
Watch the match on Braulio Ruiz’s Facebook wall HERE
David Fink
WPH Senior Writer