By Justin Sokeland
WBIW.com
BEDFORD – Doubles, at its fluid best, is a symphony of synchronicity. The keys are communication, complementary games and personality alignment. That all takes time to develop and master.
Or, in the case of Bedford North Lawrence’s last-second duo on the No.2 court, all it takes one day.
Defying conventional wisdom, BNL coach Ian Dillman juggled his doubles pairings and came up with a perfect combination, as the Stars stunned Jennings County 3-2 in the first round of the IHSAA sectional on Tuesday. After twice suffering 3-2 losses to the Panthers during the regular season, BNL flipped the one court it needed with the most unlikely team.
Trey Kiser and Riley Pruett had played doubles this year, but never together until the regular-season finale on Monday. And that was failed experiment, as they won only one game in two sets. So without additional practice, all they did was rapidly turn 180 degrees to conquer Xander Sedam and Henry Asbury 6-2, 6-3 for the crucial swing point.
“It was a shot in the dark,” Dillman said. “I had no idea what was going to happen.”
Dillman’s decision to break up the two doubles tandems that had been competing for the final lineup spot was met with skepticism. “I was a little taken aback,” Kiser admitted. “Shocked,” Pruett concurred. All they did was make it work.
“You have to make do with what you have,” Kiser said. ”We just had what it took today.”
“I saw great communication, a lot of talking,” Dillman said. “And great hitting from Trey.”
The other BNL points came from the same courts as the previous battles with the Panthers. Jackson Corey and Asher Thompson, no strangers after playing No.1 doubles all year, flashed service power to conquer Charlie Treadway and Addex Belding 6-1, 6-3. They relied on their usual strengths.
“It’s being consistent, every shot,” Corey said. “It’s just good communication,” Thompson said. “Over time, with more practice, the better it is.”
In singles, BNL’s Levi Thompson stopped Colten Short 6-2, 6-1 at No.3.
“When I saw the bracket, I was like ‘Third time’s a charm,’” Dillman said. “I was happy to see it, I thought we would have some sort of good outcome. I was very positive.”
Jennings (8-12) won the top two singles. Luke Napier fought off Laedon Jones 6-2, 6-3 at No.1, while Asher Morin clipped Aden Ralston 6-1, 6-4 at No.2.
BNL (8-10) will now tangle with No.25 Seymour (17-2) in the semifinal on Wednesday. The Owls, the tournament favorite, conquered BNL 5-0 on Sept. 3.
“They’re the favorite, but in our head-to-head match, we had some very close sets,” Dillman said. “We will look at it as we will fight, there’s nothing but positives. When we play a better team, we play our best.”
Trinity Lutheran (8-8) will face Brownstown (7-10) in the other semifinal. The championship match is set for Thursday.
IHSAA SECTIONAL
First round
BNL 3, Jennings County 2
Singles
1 Luke Napier, JC d. Laedon Jones 6-2, 6-3
2 Asher Morin, JC d. Aden Ralston 6-1, 6-4
3 Levi Thompson, BNL d. Colten Short 6-2, 6-1
Doubles
1 Jackson Corey and Asher Thompson, BNL d. Charlie Treadway and Addex Belding 6-1, 6-3
2 Trey Kiser and Riley Pruett, BNL d. Xander Sedam and Henry Asbury 6-2, 6-3
