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Burton tops No. 1 singles field at Lexington Invite
Bison netters
place second
LEXINGTON -- McCook High School senior Brett Burton captured the No. 1 singles championship Saturday at the Lexington Invite boys tennis tournament.
Burton posted a 6-0 record en route to the title and lost just eight sets. He posted three 8-0 wins, two 8-1 wins and an 8-6 win.
The McCook Bison boys tennis team placed second with 22 points.
McCook and Scottsbluff both scored 22 points, but the Bearcats won 40 games for a 59 percent winning margin in the tiebreaker, compared to 35 games and 53 percent for McCook.
Alliance finished third with 20 points, followed by Lincoln Christian 17, Lexington 16, Holdrege 15 and Kearney Catholic 14.
Nate Crick posted a 2-4 record at No. 2 singles.
In No. 1 doubles, McCook's Asher Brooks and Austin Larson posted a 3-3 record.
In No. 2 doubles, McCook's Jack Latta and John Huffman posted a 2-4 record.
"We got much better production from the team as a whole, which was key to our finish," said McCook tennis coach Matt Wiemers. "There was enough parity in each teams weaknesses and strengths at each division, that it made for a close invite.
"Brett had the best performance of the day, winning the No. 1 singles division. But I was happy with the success of the team. We had a great week of practice and the guys put forth a tremendous effort each day. Their hard work paid off Saturday with a great team performance.
"We got improvement from everyone and they all finished with their best records at a invite this season.
"We still need to get better, but I'm happy the guys experienced the success they had at Lexington. We will use this as a motivator to help the team get to where they want to be."
McCook hosts North Platte at 4 p.m. Tuesday and Holdrege at 3:30 p.m. Thursday at the Bison/Elk Courts.
Team standings:
1 Scottsbluff 22 (won 40 games, 59 percent margin in tie breaker)
McCook 22 (won 35 games, 53 percent margin in tie breaker)
3 Alliance 20
4 Lincoln Christian 17
5 Lexington 16
6 Holdrege 15
7 Kearney Catholic 14
1 singles-Brett Burton, 6-0,
1st place medalist
def. Freburg, Holdrege, 8-0
def. Gipson, Lincoln Christian, 8-6
def. Freidlein, Scottsbluff, 8-0
def. Tatit, Kearney Catholic, 8-0
def. Burch, Lexington, 8-1
def. Mracek, Alliance, 8-1
"Brett had a phenomenal tournament. He played with a lot of intensity and really made some excellent hits," Wiemers said.
"His play was solid and I really didn't see any flaws in his game all day. Brett's work ethic and mental game are strong and those two alone will help Brett win matches.
"His best match came against Lincoln Christian, in which Brett got down 0-3 to start the match. Lincoln Christian didn't make many errors and got Brett down early.
"Brett kept his focus and didn't get down on himself and kept plugging away. Being the competitor that he is, he found a way to win and he did just that. What a great tournament he had."
2 singles-Nate Crick, 2-4
def. Isaacson, Holdrege, 8-3
lost to McClintock, Lincoln Christian, 8-2
lost to Downey, Scottsbluff, 8-3
lost to Messbarger, Kearney Catholic, 8-1
lost to Zlatkovsky, Lexington, 8-6
def. McGhehey, Alliance, 9-8 (7-5)
"Nate played in a senior-dominated field and came away with two wins," Wiemers said. "He was in most of his matches, even though the scores do not indicate it. Most of Nate's losses were to himself.
"Nate is a freshman and he just made freshman mistakes. I have seen steady improvement in his play the past two weeks and I feel confident Nate will eliminate a lot of those mistakes. This was a good week for Nate winning a big tie-break match on Tuesday to decide the team duel win. And his play Saturday was decent, but he made too many unforced errors.
"His best match came against Alliance, in which he won another tie-break match. Nate was down most of the match, but he did a great job of stepping up to the challenge and came away with the victory. I asked him to move his feet and just out play his opponent.
"It was the last match of the tournament and they both were tired. I asked Nate to go all out when he was down 4-5 and just outwork his opponent. I totally commend Nate for his effort and focus in the tie-breaker."
1 doubles-Asher Brooks/Austin Larson, 3-3
lost to Fulmer/Chase, Holdrege, 8-3
def. Henslee/Burke, Lincoln Christian, 8-4
lost to Keller/Nagaki, Scottsbluff, 8-3
def. Watley/Hull, Kearney Catholic, 8-4
def. Hock/Long, Lexington, 8-0
lost to Roberts/Lierk, Alliance, 8-5
"Asher and Austin had a good day going 3-3," Wiemers said. "They beat the teams they should have beaten and were competitive in the other matches. There were some solid teams, in which I feel at least three of them will earn seeds at the state tournament at season's end.
"The guys played well and once again showed signs of improvement. They did a better job of attacking the net and came away with some easy points. For them to get better, they need to limit their unforced errors and double faults.
"They make crucial mistakes at crucial times in matches. They have the talent and ability to become a strong doubles team, but they beat themselves with unforced errors and serving mistakes."
2 doubles-Jack Latta/John Huffman, 2-4
lost to Hohensee/Brown, Holdrege, 8-2
lost to Boehr/Terpsma, Lincoln Christian, 8-4
lost to Sulu/Rosas, Scottsbluff, 8-2
lost to Messbarger/Carranza, Kearney Catholic, 8-3
def. Sheldon/Evans, Lexington, 8-4
def. Neville/Dobrovolny, Alliance, 8-3
"Like our No. 1 doubles, Jack and John beat the teams they should and played competitively in the the other matches," Wiemers said. "A lot of teams for some reason played down their 1's, in which they play their #1 team in the #2 division. So the guys had some tough teams to compete against.
"This was their best outing of the season and they came away with two big wins. With more time and experience they will get better. They showed signs of improvement and I feel confident they will continue to take steps in the right direction."