By PAUL DELANEY
Staff Reporter
A win and a loss, a win and a loss. That was the familiar pattern that repeated itself for Medical Lake throughout last week's Great Northern League boys' tennis tournament in Pullman.
The season ends for the Cardinals and coach Leroy Lemaster in a bit of a disappointing way, with no players earning a return trip to the courts at Washington State University and the regional tournament this Friday and Saturday.
“Things did not come out the way we wanted them to, but I am very proud of the effort our players gave when they lost the second round,” Lemaster said. “No one gave up and that was special to witness.”
Blake Andrews beat Eric Barrio of Cheney, 6-2, 6-1 at No. 1 but would drop his second round match to Deer Park's Spanish exchange student Jorge Rey Montejo, 4-6, 3-6. After Andrew Ryan beat Nathan Mueller of Cheney, 4-6, 6-4, 6-3 at No. 2 it was his turn to face Montejo, who won 6-4, 6-4.
“Andrew Ryan played his best tennis of his four-year high school career,” Lemaster said. Ryan came from behind in this first match and won a 3-setter but according to Lemaster, “I think Mr. Montejo had to have played his best match to beat Andrew.”
A.J. Parker fell to Nikhil Tang of Pullman 0-6, 1-6 in a first-round match at No. 3 singles.
Doubles' play followed the pattern seen in singles where Jake Wesselman and Ismael Teshome beat Justin Smith and Nick Sweeney of East Valley 6-1, 6-1 at No. 1. The pair later lost to Carey and Vince Hewett of Clarkston, 3-6, 6-1, 5-7.
“Jake and Ismael had a good chance to go on to the regional tournament but it just wasn't to be,” Lemaster said. “They were up 5-2 in the third set, so hats off to the Clarkston team who came alive and made some outstanding rallies for the win.”
Kegan Ronholt and Brytin Powers beat Pullman's Michael Casselman and Jimmy Yin 6-2, 6-3 in a No. 2 match but fell in straight sets as well to Justin Bockstruck and Paul Kauwe of Cheney 2-6, 4-6.
The Cards' No. 3 doubles team of Spencer Kuhn and Hunter Barr scored an upset when they stopped the No. 1 doubles team of Mark Norman and Conner Hailde from West Valley 6-4, 6-4. That earned them the unenviable opponent of eventual tournament runners-up, the Pullman pair of Nishant Dwivedi and Hynn Kyoo Han who won 6-1, 6-3. “Spencer and Hunter played their best tennis of the year to beat West Valley,” Lemaster said.
Seniors Ryan, Ronholt, Powers, Jacob Morrison, Terrell Hawkins and Spencer Kuhn finished their careers at Pullman.
Paul Delaney can be reached at pdelaney@cheneyfreepress.com.
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