ELLETTSVILLE – Bedford North Lawrence bounced back to win its consolation match in the Edgewood Invitational during boys high school tennis action on Saturday.
After suffering a 5-0 setback to Mooresville in the first round, the Stars (5-8) clipped Owen Valley 3-2 in the second match.
BNL’s Drew Stephenson and Neal Patel rallied from a first-set loss at No.1 doubles to edge Cooper King and Michael Hensley 3-6, 7-5, 10-7 in the swing match against the Patriots.
“We had a great team practice yesterday and just worked really hard on mindset, playing with purpose, and swinging freely,” BNL coach Chris Kurtz said. “I think for our doubles, the match against Mooresville was an emotional and draining one, which turned into a slow start against Owen Valley.
“We took a quick lead in the second but fell back to down 4-3 before going on a run to close it out and force the tiebreaker. Drew and Neal certainly showed a will win, and played solid, aggressive tennis to secure the team victory.”
Isaac Bridges swept past OV’s Sean Goss at No.3 singles, and Jayden Kemp won by forfeit at No.1 singles to cap BNL’s court wins against Owen Valley. The Patriots won at No.2 singles with Kaden Hamilton topping Orion Hill 6-4, 6-1, and also at No.2 doubles as Kolby Brown and Kyvan Manning battled back to nip Braxton Fugate and Jackson Corey (who was back in the BNL lineup while Gavin Baker was ill) by a 4-6, 6-2, 10-8 count.
The Pioneers rolled in the opening round. Archer Query defeated Kemp 6-4, 6-2 at No.1, Bailey Kelso stopped Hill 6-1, 6-3 at No.2, and Sam Fletcher slid past Bridges 6-2, 6-4 at No.3. Mooresville’s Craig Teike and Brady Nalley topped Stephenson and Patel 6-3, 6-0 at No.1 doubles, while Braedon Daggy and Kolten Wilson dropped Corey and Fugate 6-1, 6-2 at No.2.
The Stars will host Paoli on Monday.
Edgewood Invitational
Mooresville 5, BNL 0
Singles
1 Archer Query d. Jayden Kemp 6-4, 6-2
2 Bailey Kelso d. Orion Hill 6-1, 6-3
3 Sam Fletcher d. Isaac Bridges 6-2, 6-4
Doubles
1 Craig Teike and Brady Nalley d. Drew Stephenson and Neal Patel 6-3, 6-0
2 Braedon Daggy and Kolten Wilson d. Jackson Corey and Braxton Fugate 6-1, 6-2
BNL 3, Owen Valley 2
Singles
1 Jayden Kemp, BNL won by forfeit
2 Kaden Hamilton, OV d. Orion Hill 6-4, 6-1
3 Isaac Bridges, BNL d. Sean Goss 6-1, 6-0
Doubles
1 Drew Stephenson and Neal Patel, BNL d. Cooper King and Michael Hensley 3-6, 7-5, 10-7
2 Kolby Brown and Kyvan Manning, OV d. Jackson Corey and Braxton Fugate 4-6, 6-2, 10-8
