BEDFORD – Jeffersonville squeezed out a 3-2 win over Bedford North Lawrence in the consolation round of the Hoosier Hills Conference tournament during high school tennis action on Friday night.
The Red Devils claimed the top two singles slots and added a victory at No.2 doubles to clip the Stars, who slipped to 6-10.
BNL’s Levi Thompson slugged out a thrilling triumph at No.3 singles, as he topped Laron Robinson 6-4, 5-7, 14-12 in a marathon battle. Jackson Corey and Asher Thompson also needed a third set to conquer Tyler Braitling and Alex Nef 6-1, 2-6, 6-1 at No.1 doubles.
“I’m happy with the way Levi played,” BNL coach Ian Dillman said. “In a tight match, he held his own and never stopped ripping on the ball. I know personally I wouldn’t be hitting it as hard as him, but that just proves he has a strong mental game to keep going for his shots and keep attacking the net.
“That tiebreaker went the distance. Both players had match points and both held their nerves. I was trying to control my own nerves, I was probably visibly shaking, and not just from the chillier weather.”
Jeffersonville’s Austin Gazaway clipped Laedon Jones 6-3, 6-1 at No.1 singles while Emerson Crawford defeated Aden Ralston 6-1, 6-4 at No.2. Jared Garcia and Maddux Dobson edged BNL’s Trey Kiser and Traeden Robinson 6-3, 6-2 at No.2 doubles.
”Aden looked sharp out there,” Dillman said. “We’ve been working on his form on both sides (forehand and backhand) and he looked great. Things are falling into place for him. There’s still a few minor things we are fixing, but the puzzle is finally filling in and he’s seeing the big picture.
“Overall, looking back at just not this match but this week as a whole, we played well. We didn’t get any team wins but we took it really close to a great Floyd Central team that has been known for their tennis legacy, a close loss to Jennings County that could’ve gone either way, and then another loss tonight to Jeffersonville. These were all close matches that we have nothing to be upset about. We played great and we found more things that we have to improve on.”
BNL will learn its postseason fate when the IHSAA announces the sectional pairings on Sunday. The Stars will close the regular season at Edgewood on Monday.
Consolation round
Jeffersonville 3, BNL 2
Singles
1 Austin Gazaway, J d. Laedon Jones 6-3, 6-1
2 Emerson Crawford, J d. Aden Ralston 6-1, 6-4
3 Levi Thompson, BNL d. Laron Robinson 6-4, 5-7, 14-12
Doubles
1 Jackson Corey and Asher Thompson, BNL d. Tyler Braitling and Alex Nef 6-1, 2-6, 6-1
2 Jared Garcia and Maddux Dobson, J d. Trey Kiser and Traeden Robinson 6-3, 6-2
