By Justin Sokeland
WBIW.com
BEDFORD – Bedford North Lawrence doubled down to down Brownstown.
The Stars swept the doubles courts for crucial points while recording a tough 3-2 victory over the Braves on Thursday. Even with juggled pairings, doubles was the difference – plus a key singles win from Asher Thompson at No.2 – as BNL improved to 6-5 while ending a three-match skid.
Orion Hill and Neal Patel teamed at No.1 doubles to cruise past Jace Reaser and Trey Isaacs 6-2, 6-1. Micah Carter and Braxton Fugate won big points late in each set to stop Carson Ferguson and Max Sommers 6-4, 7-5 (rallying from a 4-1 deficit) at No.2.
“Doubles is proving to me that they can play with anyone,” BNL coach Ian Dillman said. “They are four strong players that know how to hit the ball hard and bring that energy to the court. Orion and Neal sailed through their opponents, while Micah and Braxton had some hiccups. They were able to turn the tide in their favor and secure the win.”
“Their doubles are very good,” Brownstown coach Donnie Thomas said. “We played good but not good enough.”
Thompson conquered Max Peters 6-3, 6-3 in singles.
“Asher played some great tennis,” Dillman said. “He stayed low and got himself into position, things that we’ve worked on since our last match. I’m proud of his win.”
The Braves got on the board at No.1 singles as Chase Brock fought off Jackson Corey 7-5, 6-3. Charlie Blair battled back after dropping the first set to top Wyatt Corbin 4-6, 6-4, 10-6 at No.3.
“Charlie is one of those guys who just keeps the ball in play,” Thomas said. “He’s learning to keep it away from the other player when he’s at the net. He did good job of that and pulled out the tiebreaker.”
“Singles played much better,” Dillman said. “I saw a lot more movement and life from my singles players.
“Jackson and Wyatt played great. Jackson was hitting through his groundstrokes and really making his kid work. Both Jackson and Wyatt did well to keep fighting till the very end.
”This is the BNL team I’ve come to know and love. They love long matches and making me panic. I’m happy with this win, especially over a sectional foe. We lost last year 2-3 to Brownstown and we flipped the script this year. My team knows what I expect of them when they play, and they met those standards.”
The Stars will compete in the Edgewood Invitational on Saturday.
BNL 3, Brownstown 2
Singles
1 Chase Brock, Br d. Jackson Corey 7-5, 6-3
2 Asher Thompson, BNL d. Max Peters 6-3, 6-3
3 Charlie Blair, Br d. Wyatt Corbin 4-6, 6-4, 10-6
Doubles
1 Orion Hill and Neal Patel, BNL d. Jace Reaser and Trey Isaacs 6-2, 6-1
2 Micah Carter and Braxton Fugate, BNL d. Carson Ferguson and Max Sommers 6-4, 7-5
