SPRING UPDATE: LAMP boys tennis finishes second after playoff
Juno Jeon led LAMP to a second-place finish in the Class 3A boys state tournament Tuesday in Mobile. (Eddie Olszewski)
Compiled by TIM GAYLE
MOBILE – Madison Academy and LAMP were tied after the first day of Class 4A/5A boys’ tennis state tournament at Mobile Tennis Center and were still deadlocked at the end of Tuesday’s final day forcing a playoff.
The Mustangs emerged with a singles and doubles win to capture the school’s first boys’ state tennis championship with 65 points as LAMP settled for second place with 60 points.
It marked the second runner-up trophy in boys’ tennis for the Montgomery magnet school, which finished second to Briarwood Christian in 2018. The Golden Tigers kept alive a remarkable streak, finishing in the top five in each of the last eight state tournaments.
Finishing behind Madison Academy and LAMP were Altamont with 33 points, John Carroll (27) and Guntersville (26). St. James finished 13th.
LAMP had four of its six singles players reach the finals, with three winning state titles. In doubles, the Golden Tigers reached the finals with two of their three doubles teams, with the No. 1 doubles match determining the state championship.
In that match, LAMP’s Edward Lee and Juno Jeon reached the finals by beating John Carroll’s Will Magruder and Josh Wittman 6-3, 6-2, then beat Madison Academy’s Parker Jacques and Ben Haggard in the finals to force the playoff.
The No. 1 doubles title was one of four for the Golden Tigers, following singles championships by Jeon, Sunho Kim and Richard Chen.
At. No. 2 singles, Jeon started Tuesday play by winning his semifinal match with Altamont’s Wesley Sudarshan 6-1, 6-0, then defeated Haggard in the finals 6-3, 6-1.
At No. 3 singles, LAMP’s Ian Kim beat Cherokee County’s Daxson Stargell 6-3, 3-6, 1-0(8) to reach the finals before losing to Madison Academy’s Sam Fulkerson 6-2, 6-2.
At No. 4 singles, LAMP’s Sunho Kim opened Tuesday play with a win over Wilson’s Noah Hetrick, 6-2, 7-5, to reach the finals where he defeated John Carroll’s Fletcher Hughes 6-2, 6-1.
At No. 6 singles, Chen won his semifinal match over Leeds’ Jose Gonzales 6-1, 6-3, then beat Altamont’s Sid Doppalaphudi 6-3, 6-4.
The Golden Tigers, locked in a battle for the title with Madison Academy, then turned their attention to doubles play where all three teams were still alive on Tuesday. The No. 1 doubles match finished last, forcing the playoff.
At No. 2, LAMP’s Ian Kim and Sunho Kim defeated Madison Academy’s Fulkerson and Matt Perkins 6-3, 6-1 in the semifinals, then beat Wilson’s Riley Wilkes and Noah Hetrick 6-2, 6-4 in the finals.
At No. 3, LAMP’s Andy Back and Cole Gillet lost in the semifinals to Altamont’s Doppalaphudi and Bart Stephens 7-6, 6-7, 1-0(7).
In the girls’ 4A-5A tournament, St. James’ Bailey Anderson won the state title at No. 6 singles, helping the Trojans to a fourth-place finish. St. John Paul II won the 4A-5A title with 63 points, followed by Altamont (55), Russellville (37), St. James (32), Wilson (30), Sardis (23) and LAMP (18).
After two years out of the top 10, LAMP’s seventh-place finish marked the sixth time in the last eight tournaments the Golden Tigers finished eighth or higher.
St. James’ finish continues a remarkable streak in which the Trojans have finished fifth or higher every year since 2001, including 10 runner-up finishes and two state titles -- 2003 and 2019.
Anderson wasn’t the only Trojan to reach the finals. At No. 2 doubles, Dylan Oliver and Grace Yu defeated Altamont’s Tiana Shelton and Sydney Porter 7-5, 6-4 to reach the finals, but lost in the championship match to Russellville’s Avary Miller and Rozanna Velez-Sera 6-2, 6-2.
The Trojans started the day off in sixth place but moved up with the help of Anderson. At No. 6 singles, Anderson started the day with a semifinal win over Wilson’s Livi Nester, 6-3, 6-1, then beat Altamont’s Sophia Sultan in the finals 6-4, 4-6, 1-0(6).
LAMP’s Selina Che also started the day with a semifinal match at No. 6 singles, but lost to Sultan 6-1, 6-2.
There were two local competitors among the final semifinalists at No. 5 as well, with St. John Paul’s Alex Hall beating St. James’ Isabella Hernandez in the semifinals, 6-3, 6-1, and LAMP’s Jennifer Kim 6-1, 6-0, in the finals. Kim had reached the finals with a semifinal win over Altamont’s Zoya Bashir 2-6, 6-2, 1-0(11).
At No. 2 singles, LAMP’s Renna Chen lost to St. John Paul’s Cathy Bukenya 6-0, 6-1 in the semifinals, the same fate teammate Kangyon Park faced at No. 3 in a 6-3, 6-1 loss to St. John Paul’s Mauren Weathers and Lily Tears faced at No. 4 in a 6-0, 6-0 loss to St. John Paul’s Trish Bukenya.
In the 1A-3A boys’ tournament, Catholic’s Cooper Davis won a state championship at No. 2 singles and teamed with Sebastian Sayegh to finish second at No. 1 doubles.
Davis had reached the finals with a pair of Monday wins and completed the sweep with a win over Whitesburg Christian’s Grayson Paulus 7-6(1), 6-1.
In No. 1 doubles, the Houston Academy duo of Mitchel Piedra and Andrew Ayodeji defeated Cooper and Sayegh 6-4, 6-2 to help the Dothan private school to the state championship.
Houston Academy’s 63 points was more than the combined points accumulated by runner-up Westminster-Oak Mountain (31) and third-place Catholic (22). Providence Christian and Whitesburg Christian rounded out the top five.
In the girls’ 1A-3A tournament, a pair of Catholic players reached Tuesday’s semifinal round before losing. At No. 3 singles, Catholic’s Grayson Howell lost to St. Luke’s Whitney Novak 6-1, 6-2. At No. 4 singles, Catholic’s Piper Schneider lost to Donoho’s Harper Pumroy 6-4, 6-3.
The performance of Howell and Schneider helped the Knights to a fifth-place tie with Shoals Christian. St. Luke’s won the championship, followed by Donoho, Lauderdale County and Bayside Academy.
Montgomery Academy and Trinity will be in action on Thursday and Friday as part of the Class 6A championships held at the Mobile Tennis Center.
SOFTBALL
Trinity 16, Robert E. Lee 0 (3)
The Lady Wildcats defeated the Generals 16-0 in a game shortened to three innings by the mercy rule as Linda Hill, Lilly Yancey and Marley Sharpless each threw an inning, allowing just three hits.
At the plate, Emma Rose Meldrum went 2 for 2, scoring three runs and driving in another, and Hill went 2 for 2, scoring twice and driving in a run. Lilly Windham doubled in two runs and Yancey tripled in a pair of runs.
Trinity returns to action next Tuesday against Holtville in the home finale at 4 p.m.
Prattville Christian Academy 8, Thorsby 2
PRATTVILLE -- Arielle Williams pitched the first four innings before turning the game over to Riley Sweeney in the fifth and sixth innings and Alivia Messick in the seventh as the Panthers defeated Thorsby on Tuesday.
Sweeney went 3 for 3 and drove in three runs to lead the offense. Jersee Carter went 2 for 3 with an RBI and four stolen bases, Sally Swindall went 2 for 3 and Sarah Williams went 2 for 4 and drove in a pair of runs.
PCA (23-6) hosts a doubleheader on Friday, facing Andalusia at 3 p.m. and Wetumpka at 7 p.m.
Macon East Academy 8-3, Glenwood School 2-2
CECIL -- The Knights scored four runs in the sixth inning of the first game, then scored on a bases-loaded walk in the sixth inning of the second half to break a tie and give Macon East a doubleheader sweep of the Gators on Tuesday.
In the first game, the Knights took early control with a three-run second inning that included a home run by Alyssa Clark.
In the sixth, RBI hits from Hannah Parker, Taylor McKinney and Breann Morrison extended the lead.
McKinney picked up the win with a complete-game performance, striking out seven while allowing just three hits in seven innings.
Arianna Pinder suffered the loss, allowing six hits and eight runs over six innings while striking out five.
In the second game, Devyn Debardelaben went 2 for 3 to lead the offense, but it was Georgia Blaze who rescued the Knights with a two-run single in the fourth inning to even the score at 2-2. Blaze also drew a bases-loaded walk in the sixth to force in the game-winning run.
Macon East’s Kylee Smith and Glenwood’s Taylor Dawson each struck out three in a pitcher’s duel as Smith allowed seven hits and two runs in six innings and Dawson allowed four hits over 5.1 innings.
Game 2
Macon East (31-14) remains home to play Lee-Scott on Thursday and Morgan on Friday.
GIRLS SOCCER
Trinity 5, Catholic 1
Bentley Moore scored a pair of goals to help the Wildcats defeat Catholic on Tuesday night.
Emilyn Etheredge, Mary Alice Sasser and Hastings Avant added goals for the Wildcats. Etheredge had a pair of assists and Mary Davis Bricken, Sarah Teel and Katherine Warren also had assists.
Prattville Christian 3, Stanhope Elmore 1
PRATTVILLE -- Chloe Steakley had a goal and an assist to lead the Lady Panthers to a 3-1 win over the 6A Mustangs at Panther Stadium on Tuesday night.
Avery Rogers and Kathleen Cary each scored a goal and Riley Johnson had an assist.
PCA (7-3-2) will host Holy Spirit in the first round of the 1A-3A soccer playoffs next Tuesday at 5 p.m.
BOYS SOCCER
Trinity 1, Catholic 0
Eighty minutes settled nothing, so the two Capital City Conference rivals went to an overtime period and finally penalty kicks.
Trinity’s Jackson Champion, Grayden Flowers, Jake Hufham, Josh Hixon and Will Owen each made their kicks and Jon Everett Dennis stopped a Catholic penalty kick to seal the win for the Wildcats.
Prattville Christian 13, Autaugaville 0
PRATTVILLE -- Josh Forte made a goal and assisted on five others as the Panthers rolled to an easy 13-0 win over the Eagles at Panther Stadium on Tuesday night.
Matthew Lisle scored four goals to lead the offense, while Trey Barkley had three goals and an assist, Cohen Palmore had two goals and an assist, Jake Davis scored two goals and Liam Taylor had a pair of assists. Cade Segars scored a goal to round out the scoring.
Grant Scott recorded the shutout in goal.
PCA (9-5) will host Brew Tech on Thursday at 5:30 p.m. in the final regular season game before hosting Holt Spirit on Tuesday in the first round of the 1A-3A state soccer playoffs.