Sports Editor
Blanchester High School hosted the early-season litmus test that is the SBC Girls Tennis Invitational last week, which featured eight of the 12 SBC schools.
Play got underway early on Saturday, Aug. 15 with the semifinals and finals scheduled to be completed on Monday, Aug. 17.
A raucous first day of action cut the eight-team tournament to a virtual four teamer.
With representatives on site from Amelia, Batavia, Bethel-Tate, Blanchester, Clermont Northeastern, Goshen, New Richmond and Western Brown, the singles semifinals featured individuals from Amelia (two), Batavia and Western Brown, while the double bracket was whittled down to a pair of New Richmond doubles teams vs. Amelia doubles teams in the semifinal matches.
On the top of the singles bracket, Western Brown’s KK Massey defeated Goshen’s Carolin Clifton and New Richmond’s Taylor Cardarelli to reach the semis. Her opponent, Amelia’s Allison Reardon, took down Blanchester’s Heather O’Neill, Bethel-Tate’s Jasmen Fogle and fellow Lady Baron Blake Nelson to reach Monday’s match.
On the other side of the singles bracket, Rachel Dapper of Amelia took down Bethel-Tate’s Liz Kilgore and Blanchester’s Brooke Honaker to reach her semifinal match up with Batavia’s Olivia Moon.
Moon’s road to the semis included wins over Western Brown’s Kasi Boyd and then the Lady Broncos’ Jazmyn Pierce.
Saturday’s doubles action spanned two matches for each duo as New Richmond’s Maria Steinmetz and Tori Loving took down competitors from Goshen and Western Brown to reach the semifinals.
Their foes in the semifinals, Amelia’s pair of Reardon and Stockton, defeated Martin and Clark of Bethel-Tate in the first round and Wilson and Tedrick of Blanchester in the quarterfinals.
The other half of the bracket shook out in similar fashion with New Richmond and Amelia advancing to Monday’s semifinal matches. The New Richmond team of Laura Painter and Lily Cahall defeated Goshen and Western Brown to advance through, while Amelia’s Sizemore and Dickerson beat Bethel-Tate and CNE.
Monday’s semifinals saw both New Richmond teams win their doubles semifinals in straight sets setting up an all-Lady Lion final.
Painter and Cahall were able to best their teammates 6-1, 1-6, 10-5 to take top honors.
The singles semifinals saw Rachel Dapper of Amelia and KK Massey of Western Brown advance to the finals, but weather postponed the finals, which have yet to be made up.