TENNIS CATS WIN DISTRICT TOURNAMENT

With the doubles team of London Lee and Evan Escobedo winning their bracket Thursday, the Bearcat netters won the tennis district tournament, which was held in Jessieville.

Lee and Escobedo, and six other Bearcats and Lady Cats qualified for the state tennis tournament to be held Oct. 11 at Burns Park in North Little Rock.

Seeded third, Lee and Escobedo took down both the second (6-3, 6-4) and top seeded doubles teams (8-6, 3-6, 6-2) to win the boys doubles bracket.

George Griffiths and Angie Brown were second in boys and girls singles, respectively. The girls doubles team of Layla Byrum and Joleigh Tate were also second in girls doubles.

Coach Katelyn Holub’s second girls doubles team of Linley Garrett and Lexi Franklin won the third place match to also qualify for the state tournament.

Griffiths went into the tournament seeded third in boys singles and beat both the 6-seed (6-2, 7-5) and 2-seed (6-4, 5-7, 7-5) on the way to the finals, where he lost to the top seeded player from Jessieville (6-4, 4-6, 6-8).

Brown was also seeded third in girls singles but beat both the 6-seed (6-1, 6-1) and 2-seed (6-4, 4-6, 8-6) on the way to the finals, where the 5-seed would win the bracket, 2-6 0-6.

Seeded second, Byrum and Tate got to the finals by beating the 7-seed (6-1, 6-2) and 3-seed (6-3, 6-3) before falling to the top seeded pair 5-7, 3-6.

Garrett and Franklin were seeded fourth and beat the fifth seeded team (6-2, 7-5) but dropped into the third place game with a loss to the top seeded duo. In the third place game to get to North Little Rock, Garrett and Franklin beat the third seeded team 6-4, 6-2.

Tyler Ray also won his first round match over the 10-seed, 6-0 but fell to the 2-seed. Mary Haynes, the four seed, fell in her first round match to the eventual bracket winner.