Cecil, Buckingham 2nd in state doubles
By DAVID LESNICK
The Daily Inter Lake
A year ago Anna Cecil and Maya Buckingham were one match away from placing at the Class AA state tennis tournament in doubles play.
They were oh, so close.
Friday, the two Glacier seniors were one match away again.
This time, however, the stakes were much higher.
Cecil and Buckingham were battling for a state championship.
Fiona and Bridget Powers of Helena Capital came through with the crucial points to spoil Cecil’s and Buckingham’s amazing run with a 6-4, 7-6 (5) triumph in the title match at the Flathead Valley Community College courts.
“Can’t catch a break,” Buckingham half-joked afterwards.
“We played well,” Cecil said.
“We did our best. I feel good about how we played even though we lost.”
“They had the toughest road no doubt,” Glacier coach Josh Munro said of the bracket for his two standouts. “The two (doubles) teams they beat played for third and fourth.”
It was the second time the finalists had squared off this spring. The Capital girls also won the previous meeting in another highly competitive tight match.
“We were hoping,” Cecil said of a better outcome against the Powers sisters this time.
“I thought we played consistent. In the second set we just couldn’t quite pull it out in the end.”
Cecil and Buckingham started the final day by topping Hannah Worden and Peyton Finch of Missoula Sentinel 7-6 (6), 6-4 in the semifinals. That was a major achievement in itself.
“The biggest accomplishment was beating Bozeman and Sentinel in a row,” Buckingham said. “Those two teams we lost out to last year (at state). We got our revenge.”
“Our goal was to just get to the second day,” Cecil said. “We didn’t want to lose out in the first day.”
They realized making it to the final day would be a test of skills, talent and nerves.
The girls opened state with an impressive 6-3, 6-0 win over Katie Greybeal and Zoe Nelson of Missoula Hellgate.
That was the easy part.
Then it was challenging tests against Hannah Hays and Brooklyn Mailey of Bozeman in the quarterfinals, a 6-3, 4-6, 6-3 victory on Thursday, followed by Worden and Finch.
Worden and Katie Veteto, who graduated, won state doubles last year while Hays and Mailey finished fourth.
Buckingham knew it would be a grind when the bracket was finalized.
“Some tough competition,” were her first thoughts. “To win those (matches) we knew it would be difficult and we did it.”
“I was just happy we made it to the final,” Cecil added. “I was a little nervous because they had beaten us before.”
The second-place showing by Cecil and Buckingham was the Wolfpack’s highlight for state. They scored 11 of Glacier’s 12 total points. Glacier and Sentinel tied for third place.
McKenna Tinseth scored the other critical point for Glacier with her singles win in the consolation round Thursday. She beat Hellgate’s Maya Nguyen-Haberneski 6-4, 7-6 (5).
“McKenna picking up a point in the backdraw was huge,” Munro said. “That got us a trophy. Again, (the win) was against a girl we have not beaten the last couple years.”
Bozeman, led by singles champ Heather Sikoski, won its sixth straight state title with a 22 point total. Helena Capital, 13, was second.
Sikoski was a state runner-up last year.
“They played hard, played steady were at the top of their game,” Munro said of Cecil and Buckingham.
“That was huge for them in the final.”
He said he could see their confidence grow as they progressed through the tournament.
“Belief is one of the struggles, but this weekend they believed it and they wanted it,” he added.
“They were never looking too far ahead. They just wanted to play the match they were in and go to the next.
“I told them when the bracket came out that it’s there for you. You gotta want it and play your way through it. There are teams here you are familiar with.”
The Bozeman boys defended their title in dominating fashion. The Hawks, led by singles champion Marcos Zelver and doubles champions Logan Derby and Jackson Pedersen and runners-up Noah Metzger and Henry Stewart, rolled up a 41-team total. Helena High, 17, was second and Billings Senior, 16, third.
Zelver defended his title.
Glacier, one point, tied for 10th.
Glacier had the most state qualifiers with 14 players (three doubles teams and a singles player for boys and girls). Billings Senior was next with 13 while Bozeman and Missoula Hellgate had 12 each.
Flathead had no state qualifiers.
“I’m really proud of the team overall,” Munro said.
“Girls and boys ... by far our best play of the season. It’s always good to watch the seniors who work so hard bounce back.”
Boys
Team Totals
Bozeman 41, Helena High 17, Billings Senior 16, Missoula Sentinel 15, Missoula Hellgate 8, Billings West 6, Billings Skyview 7, Great Falls High 2, Missoula Big Sky 2, Helena Capital 1, Glacier 1
Singles
Championship
Marcos Zelver, Boz, def. Cory Bowlby, HH, 6-0, 6-1.
Semifinals
Zelver def. Jay Montague, BS, 6-3, 6-4; Bowlby def. Ethan Hanley, Boz, 6-2, 6-2.
Consolation
Third Round
Connor D’Angelo, MH, def. Miggy San Pedro, GF, 6-3, 6-3; Aidan Binau, SV, def. Jake Treece, MS, 6-1, 6-4
Fourth Round
D’Angelo def. Hanley, 7-6 (4) , 7-5; Montague def. Binau, 6-3, 6-2.
Third/Fourth
Montague def. D’Angelo, 6-2, 6-2.
Doubles
Championship
Logan Derby/Jackson Pedersen, Boz, def. Noah Metzger/Henry Stewart, Boz, 6-0, 6-2.
Semifinals
Derby/Pedersen def. Sean Ramsbacher/Ethan Violette, MS, 6-2, 6-3; Metzger/Stewart def. Alex Seburn/Noah Jakovac, HH, 4-6, 6-2, 6-1
Consolation
Third Round
Kevin Thomas/Thomas Stevens, MS, def. Jordan Gibbs/Jayden Ostler, BW, 6-3, 6-2; George Dyre/Justin Pazmino, BS, def. Cole Tolleson-Knee/Hendry Ledyard, MH, 6-4, 3-6, 6-4
Fourth Round
Ramsbacher/Violette def. Gibbs/Ostler, 6-2, 6-1; Seburn/Jakovac def. Dyre/Pazmino, 2-6, 6-2, 6-4
Third/Fourth
Ramsbacher/Violette def. Seburn/Jakovac, 6-2, 6-0
Girls
Team Totals
Bozeman 22, Helena Capital 13, Glacier 12, Missoula Sentinel 12, C.M. Russell 11, Billings Skyview 11, Billings Senior 9, Billings West 8, Missoula Hellgate 7, Helena High 6, Great Falls High 1.
Singles
Championship
Heather Sikoski, Boz, def. Katie Hooten, SV, 6-0, 6-0
Semifinals
Sikoski def. Olivia Panarella, MH, 6-1, 6-2; Hooten def. Mackenzie George, CMR, 6-4, 1-6 6-2
Consolation
Third Round
Zuzhana Durisova, BW, def. Lucie Marques, HH, 6-1, 6-2; Gail Parambi, CMR, def. Annie Woods, BS, 6-4, 6-4
Fourth Round
Durisova def. Panarella, 4-6, 6-1, 6-2; George def. Parambi, 6-0, 6-4
Third/Fourth
Durisova def. George 6-4, 4-6, 6-4
Doubles
Championship
Fiona Powers/Bridget Powers, HC, def. Maya Buckingham/Anna Cecil, 6-4, 7-6 (5)
Semifinals
Powers/Powers def. Chelsea Bone/Bronwyn McCormick, MS, 6-3, 7-5; Buckingham/Cecil def. Hannah Worden/Peyton Finch, MS, 7-6 (6), 6-4.
Consolation
Third Round
Gigi Montague/Kenzy Gilsdorf, BS, def. Holland Small/Kate Hoenig, MH, 6-2, 6-4; Hannah Hays/Brooklyn Mailey, Boz, def. Annika Linkenbach/Laurel Ward, Boz, 6-4, 6-4
Fourth Round
Worden/Finch def. Montague/Gilsdorf, 6-2, 6-2; Hays/Mailey def. Bone/McCormick, 6-0, 6-0
Third/Fourth
Worden/Finch def. Hays/Mailey, 5-7, 6-1, 7-6 (4)