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Eagles stun Ingots
Updated: May 20, 2011 11:16PM
HOBART — Heading into Friday’s sectional championship match, River Forest — the two-time defending champion and favorite — had to be feeling confident knowing it would be facing Lake Station, a winless team it had defeated earlier in the season.
Throw in the fact that River Forest had home-court advantage — host Lake Station’s courts were under repair — and it was a formula for success.
But that’s why they play the games.
Lake Station surprised itself and River Forest by winning 3-2, snapping an 11-match winless streak and earning the sectional championship.
“Today we competed and played with a lot of heart and drive,” Lake Station coach Kristie Hite said. “It was an interesting day. To come from an 0-11 record and to win a sectional championship, only in tennis can that happen.”
River Forest (3-4) found out in the morning that No. 1 singles player Vivian Nunez was not at school on Friday as she partook in “senior ditch day,” according to coach Cynthia Gil. So the Ingots had to forfeit the match and were down 0-1 before the first ball was served.
“That really put us in a hole,” Gil said. “I think that has a lot to do with our loss today.”
Lake Station was having its own issues fielding a full team, as its No. 2 doubles team also didn’t make the finals, opting instead to partake in prom festivities and forfeiting.
“Prom hairdos were way more important than a match, so I decided to forfeit and keep them away,” Hite said.
So it was one-all before the first ball was served.
If that wasn’t enough drama, the match at No. 1 doubles went three sets, with Lake Station ahead 5-4 — and then the teams lost track of the score.
River Forest argued it was 40-30, but Lake Station argued convincingly that it was game point. After the two coaches met and discussed it, Lake Station prevailed with the outcome resulting in 2-2 tie.
That left one unfinished matter to be decided.
With all eyes on the No. 2 singles match between Kelsey Lemley of Lake Station and Jamie Bellar of River Forest, Lemley pulled out a 4-6, 6-1, 6-2 victory.
“I definitely felt the pressure, especially after the first match with all the discrepancies and stuff,” Lemley said. “But this feels awesome.”
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