I would play the 9-ball combo/carom if it's the logical shot you'd take in a tourney. It'd be silly to try to bank the lowest ball just because the 9 is in the way. I would however, strongly consider spotting the 9 in such a case. If the purpose is to determine your ability to run 9 balls, taking the 1-9 combo X breaks in a row doesn't give you a fair indication of your run ability.