St. Andrew’s tennis falls in regional final
By Gary Curreri, Correspondent
9:02 p.m. EDT, April 11, 2013 Sun Sentinel
BOCA RATON — St. Andrew’s boys tennis coach Scott Williams knew his defending Class 1A state champion team would have its work cut out for it on Thursday as it faced visiting Sagemont in the regional final.
“We knew going in that [Sagemont] was very strong at the top of the lineup and they almost assuredly would get three points between No. 1 and 2 singles and No. 1 doubles,” said Williams, whose team fell, 4-2, in the regional. “You get upset when a team doesn’t play up to the level of competition, but that didn’t happen today. We just got beat. They were loaded.”
Sagemont, which won the Class 1A title in 2011, jumped out to an early lead, winning the first three singles positions as Jake Albo won 6-1, 6-0 over St. Andrew’s Andrew Dykeman at No. 1 singles.
“I think it was really important to get the first point [in singles] so the team could ride the momentum,” said Albo, a Florida State University commitment. Albo defeated Dykeman 8-3 earlier in the season as Sagemont handed the Scots one of their two losses this year during the regular season. “I have some great team members and it was just a matter of everyone going out and doing what they were supposed to do.”
Sagemont’s Camilo Escobar downed Rob Mariano, 6-2, 6-4, at No. 2 singles and Andrew Quiros defeated the Scots’ Russ Weisman, 7-5, 6-1, at No. 3 singles.
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St. Andrew’s battled back in the No. 4 and 5 singles positions to draw the match within 3-2.
The Scots’ Walker Wadsworth and J.D. Alvarado each won third-set tiebreakers. Wadsworth defeated Austin Debruine, 6-4, 2-6, 10-8, at No. 4 singles, while Alvarado topped Asdrubal Marcano, 4-6, 7-5, 10-8, to force the doubles matches.
After a one-hour break where the two teams ate lunch in the St. Andrew’s cafeteria, Sagemont’s No. 1 doubles team of Albo and Escobar showed why they are the defending state champions in overall doubles as they defeated Dykeman and Weisman, 6-2, 6-2, to clinch the title.
The No. 2 doubles team of Mariano and Alvarado for the Scots lost the first set to Quiros and Debruine, 3-6, but were ahead 5-4 in the second set when the match was called.
“This is a very difficult region, maybe the toughest in the country,” Williams said. “Sagemont is a very classy team and we want them to go all of the way and win the state title.”
American Heritage-Delray rode the solid play of Rasheeda McAdoo (No. 1 singles) and Mia Horvit (No. 2 singles) and advanced to state with a convincing 4-1 victory over the St. Andrew’s girls on Thursday afternoon.
McAdoo, the defending state champion and daughter of former NBA star and current Miami Heat assistant coach Bob McAdoo, defeated Macie Tendrich, 6-0; 6-0, while Horvit defeated Amanda Soo-Ping-Chow, 6-0; 6-1.
“I felt pretty good,” McAdoo said. “My back and ankle are a little sore, so I just wanted to go out there and get it over with.”
The Stallions also got a couple of surprises as Dominique Mortier defeated Rachel McKay, 1-6; 7-5, 10-8, at No. 3 and sixth-grader Angelica Blake downed Holy Cross commit Ginny Peck-Phillips of St. Andrew’s, 6-3; 6-3. Peck-Phillips won the state title last year at the No. 4 position.