Aaron Smallwood’s South Laurel tennis team is finishing the regular season on a high note, as the Cardinals and Lady Cardinals picked up identical 4-1 wins against Whitley County.
In boys’ action, Blake Walden knocked off Whitley County’s William Tan, 6-7, 7-6, 6-1, while Dustin Herron (6-0, 6-2) and Justin Shoemaker (6-1) picked up singles victories.
The Colonels’ Danny Butcher captured the lone singles win (6-2,6-3).
In doubles play, Mason Smith/Derek Turner (2-6, 6-3, 6-2), Babar Niazi/Sikander Niazi (6-1,6-3) and Ryan Gay/Jordan Lawson (6-1) each won for South Laurel.
Blake’s patience was impressive tonight,” Smallwood said. “William hits the ball hard and we knew that he would make errors if Blake could be patient and not give points away.
“William is very talented already and he has the potential to be a special player,” he added. “Blake’s experience and maturity pulled him through. Seth hit too many short shots — Danny took advantage of this and put most of them away. Seth will be fine, though — he obviously has the ability to compete at a high level. More match experience will make him more confident on the court.”
In girls’ action, Lyndsay Collette (6-3, 4-6, 6-3), Whitney Gay (6-0, 6-1) and Katie Kilburn (6-0, 6-2) each won for South Laurel in singles play, while Morgan Brown and Adriana Turner (6-1, 6-4) captured a doubles victory for the Lady Cardinals.
Whitley County’s Kelsey Bryant and Megan Paul (6-4, 6-1) also won a doubles match.
“Lyndsay got away from playing her game in the second set,” Smallwood said. “She became more aggressive in the third set and played much better. This was a good win over a very consistent player.
“Whitney continued to play well,” he added. “This was her seventh straight singles win. Katie has been a big help all year. She played smart tonight, kept the ball in play, and won relatively easily. Emily (Abner) and Brianna (Smith) did not play well tonight. They got frustrated early on and never recovered. This was disappointing, considering how well they were playing coming in.”
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