Lucky No. 13 a grind for Irish tennis
If you’ve known me long enough, you know the four days of the state tennis tournament are among my favorites ones in the entire year.
Halfway home, and the girls lived up to the billing. Jenks, Bishop McGuinness and Heritage Hall all earned another championship.
Thoughts and observations
- Wow, Madison Westby of Bishop Kelley is the real deal. Just a freshman, she bounced back from losing the first set to beat three-time champion Ashleigh Chiaf of Bishop McGuinness in the championship. What impressed me more than anything was how hard Westby hits the ball. Love watching powerful ground strokes. After a battle in the first two sets, Westby turned it on for a 6-0 win in the third set.
- Duncan is close, and I would make the Demons the No. 1 team for next year, but the Irish were able to get title No. 13 in a row. Trinian O’Neil won the championship at No. 2 doubles, but what turned out to be key was the young doubles teams being able to reach the finals. The Demons won both doubles championships, but the Irish were able to hold on for a 30-29 points edge. Fun stuff as always.
- 6A became an absolute mess after the semifinal round. But off the strength of its incredible singles players of Stephanie Wei and Piper Huey, Jenks was able to claim the crown. Edmond Memorial coach Randy Mays made all the right moves that resulted in a doubles title for Megan Montgomery and Safaa Aly and a team runner-up finish. And Enid was right there in the mix. Love how Darrell Herndon runs that program.
