Cougars, D’backs shine at league tennis finals

SERRANO TAKES THREE OF FOUR CIF BERTHS: At Hesperia, Brianna Wood won the Mojave River League singles title on Friday as the Serrano tennis team dominated the MRL finals at Hesperia High.

Wood defeated Serrano teammate Alexis Vinis 6-4, 6-3 in the finals.

“Serrano was obviously the cream of the crop in the league,” said Jim Taper, coach of tournament host Hesperia. “Both CIF berths in singles and one of the two berths in doubles. It was a dominating performance.”

Wood and Vinis will take the league’s two spots in the CIF individual postseason. The Serrano doubles team of Ashley Smaldone and Tara Banta also will go to CIF after defeating Shelby McIntire and Melissa Westerman of Sultana 6-4, 6-2 in the final.

McIntire and Westerman will go to CIF as well. Apple Valley’s Jenny Roberts and the Hesperia doubles team of Savanna Jeffers and Arlene Sambrano won consolation matches, qualifying for CIF as alternates.

Though Serrano took home most of the top spots, Taper said the tourney was “very competitive, especially in doubles. There were even some first-round doubles matches that got pretty interesting.”

SINGLES
Championship
Wood (Se.) def. Vinis (Se.), 6-4, 6-3.
Consolation
Roberts (A) def. Mitchell (H) 6-2, 6-3.
Semifinals
Wood (Se.) def. Mitchell (H), 6-1, 6-4.
Vinis (Se.) def. Roberts (A), 6-2, 6-2.
DOUBLES
Championship
Smaldone-Banta (Se.) def. McIntire-Westerman Su. 6-4, 6-2.
Consolation
Jeffers-Sambrano (H) def. Graham-Chisholm 7-6 (N/A), 6-4.
Semis
Smaldone-Banta (Se.) def. Graham-Chisholm (Su.) 6-4, 7-5.
Westerman-McIntyre (Su.) Jeffers-Sambrano (H) 7-6 (N/A), 7-5.

FRESHMAN LEAD THE WAY FOR GRANITE HILLS: At Victorville, Granite Hills freshman Jasmine Kimbrough remained undefeated on the season by winning the Desert Sky League singles final, and Silverado’s Kelsey Paxton and Caroline DeMahieu won the doubles title on Friday.

Kimbrough knocked off fellow Cougars freshman Alexis Mariano 6-3, 6-2 in the championship match. Both will represent the DSL in the CIF-Southern Section Individual tournament that begins on Nov. 22 at the Claremont Country Club.

“I thought they played awesome,” Granite Hills coach Pat Jenkins said. “It was a great win for Alexis in the semifinals. She lost both times to Hannah (Brown) during the regular season but today she played really smart.

“I feel pretty good about the fact that I have two freshman playing in the league finals.”

Paxton and DeMahieu beat No. 1-seeded Granite Hills doubles team Kristina Dunkin and Lian Trekell in three sets 6-1, 3-6, 6-2. The Hawks duo was seeded No. 2 heading in and had split the Cougars pair during the regular season.

“I think we played well, because we were moving,” Paxton said. “We always stay together. Even when we’re down, we stay focused and don’t dwell on the past.”

Silverado coach Suzi Paxton said that Kelsey Paxton and DeMahieu’s doubles title was the first at the school since she took over the program in 2000.

Silverado’s Jovana Karanovic finished third in singles by defeating teammate Hannah Brown in straight sets in the consolation match, and Granite Hills’ doubles team of Haritha Reddy and Clarisse Salazar took third in doubles.

“There’s some good tennis out there,” Suzi Paxton said. “There were good matches and good sportsmanship.”

SINGLES
Championship
Kimbrough (G) def. Mariano (G) 6-3, 6-2.
Consolation
Karanovic (S) def. Brown (S) 6-3, 5-7, 6-2.
Semifinals
Kimbrough (G) def. Karanovic (S) 7-5, 6-3.
Mariano (G) def. Brown (S) 6-2, 6-0.
DOUBLES
Championship
Paxton-DeMahieu (S) def. Dunkin-Trekell (G) 6-1, 3-6, 6-2.
Consolation
Salazar-Reddy (G) def. Lee-McNew 6-7 (8u.), 6-0, 6-3.
Semifinals
Dunkin-Trekell (G) def. Lee-McNew (Bu.) 6-0, 6-2.
Paxton-DeMahieu (S) def. Salazar-Reddy (G) 6-2, 6-1.