Beeters win B-C divisional, again

Once again, the Chinook girls tennis team was dominant in a divisional tournament.

The Sugarbeeters captured the 2012 Northern B-C girls divisional championship this past Saturday at the Bill Vaughey Memorial Ten

Chinook's Mariah Swank returns a shot during last Saturday's Northern B-C girls divisonal tennis tournament at the Bill Vaughey Memorial Tennis Courts in Havre.

nis Courts in Havre. Chinook scored 47 points and swept the girls singles and doubles championships en route to the divisional title. Fort Benton was second with 32 points and Chester/J-I was third with 28.

Individually, the Beeters advanced six players to this week's Class B-C state meet in Missoula.

In singles, Katie Diemert defeated C/J-I's Sadie Brown in the championship match. Diemert won by scores of 6-0 and 6-4 in the girls singles championship match on Saturday afternoon. The Beeters and Hawks also squared off in the fifth-sxith place match with Chinook's Madison McIntosh defeating C/J-I's Susanne Stewart 1-6, 7-5, 6-2. In the girls singles consolation match, Fort Benton's Leandra Maria defeated teammate Kaylee Ferris 6-3, 6-4, with both players also advancing to the state tournament.

In doubles, Chinook won the divisional title for a fifth straight season.

In the championship match, Haley Swank and Kiana Burkhartsmeyer downed Fort Benton's Holly Bailey and Kinsey Claassen by scores of 6-1 and 6-1 to claim the divisional championship. In the consolation match, the Chinook team of Alana Smith and Mariah Swank beat Chester/J-I's Megan Han and Jocelyn Woods 6-3, 7-5. All four doubles teams also advanced to the state tournament.

And the Class B-C state tournament, which Chinook won just two years ago, will get underway, right away today in Missoula.

The tournament is being held early because the Class AA state tournament is also later this week in Missoula. The Class B-C state boys and girls tournament runs from today through Thursday at both Missoula's Playfair Park and the University of Montana tennis courts.