LINTON – Bedford North Lawrence remained unbeaten on the road with a 4-1 triumph over Linton during boys high school tennis action on Thursday.
The Stars (2-1) swept the doubles and won the lower singles to conquer the Miners.
In doubles, Jackson Corey and Asher Thompson bounced past Silas Nagy and Banx Mathis 6-4, 6-4 at No.1, while the sophomore duo of Riley Pruett and Cruz Gomez dominated Landon Tharp and Alex Heacock 6-1, 6-0 at No.2.
“It seems Riley and Cruz like to keep the tradition of having doubles off first,” BNL coach Ian Dillman said. “I saw some great plays from them. With it being their first year on varsity and only their second year playing, they are doing awesome. I’m excited to see what they continue to bring to the courts.
“Our 1 doubles struggled to close their match out but got the job done. We’ve talked about having high energy when we start the match and continue to raise it as the match goes on. They fought hard against a solid doubles team. This was a good test for them on what they need to improve on.”
In singles, BNL’s Aden Ralston rolled to a 6-4, 6-3 win over Ian Mauder at No.2, and Levi Thompson swept past Xander Kenworthy 6-0, 6-1 at No.3.
“Aden was battling his opponent along with an illness,” Dillman said. “He was slow and sluggish, but he didn’t let that stop him. He kept going back and forth, but found his rhythm when it mattered most. That’s what you have to do sometimes. You might win, and it might not be the prettiest win, but we still celebrate and learn from them.
“Levi was solid. I told him to go all out and utilize this match as a way to gain confidence on the court.”
Linton’s Owen Smith fought off Laedon Jones 7-5, 7-6 (7-2 in the tiebreaker) at No.1 singles.
“Laedon’s match was great to watch,” Dillman said. “He came up short, but he was fighting off cramps and an amazing opponent.
“This is my third year as the head coach, and I can confidently say I am seeing the results of the hard work this team is putting in. Our matches are looking solid, groundstrokes look fantastic, and our ambitions are high.”
BNL’s scheduled Invitational on Friday has been cancelled because of the continuing work on the main courts. The Stars will now host Bloomfield on Friday.
BNL 4, Linton 1
Singles
1 Owen Smith, L d. Laedon Jones 7-5, 7-6 (7-2)
2 Aden Ralston, BNL d. Ian Mauder 6-4, 6-3
3 Levi Thompson, BNL d. Xander Kenworthy 6-0, 6-1
Doubles
1 Jackson Corey and Asher Thompson, BNL d. Silas Nagy and Banx Mathis 6-4, 6-4
2 Riley Pruett and Cruz Gomez, BNL d. Landon Tharp and Alex Heacock 6-1, 6-0
