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News you can use
Chinook doubles player Stella Rigg hits a backhand during a Northern B-C divisional tennis tournament match last Saturday in Havre. Rigg and the Sugarbeeters easily captured the tournament and are the defending state champions this week in Great Falls.
Chester/J-I's Madeline Woods hits a forehand during a Northern B-C doubles match last Saturday in Havre. Woods and partner Hailey Erickson finished second and will play in this week's B-C state tournament in Great Falls.
Chinook's Brooke Nicholson hits a forehand during the Northern B-C divisional tournament last Saturday.
Chinook's Hatiie Niederegger reaches for a backhand during the Northern B-C tournament Saturday in Havre.
The Chinook girls have been the class of Northern B-C divisional tennis for a long, long time. And the 2015 season was no different.
Over the weekend, the Sugarbeeters claimed yet another Northern B-C title, this time scoring 65 points to crush the competition at the Bill Vaughey Memorial Tennis Courts in Havre. Chester/J-I was a distant second with 30 points, while Fort Benton scored 13 and Harlem scored two.
The Beeters, who are the defending Class B-C state champions, also took six of the nine spots in the state tournament at the divisional tourney last weekend, including claiming both the singles and doubles championship.
Mariah Swank, the defending B-C state singles champion, beat teammate Brooke Nicholson in Saturday’s championship match, in what was a thrilling match. Nicholson took the first set, but Swank battled back to win the next two to claim her second straight divisional title. Swank also defeated sister Sierra Swank in the semifinals earlier Saturday, and the younger Swank the battled back to finish fifth, beating Fort Benton’s Katie Witt in the fifth/sixth match to earn a trip to the state tournament.
Chinook also got Megan Pruttis through to state in singles. Pruttis lost to C/J-I’s Lauren Stewart in the quarterfinals, but then won three straight matches. She then faced Stewart again in the consolation match, before falling 6-0, 6-0. Stewart, who finished third, earned her second straight trip to state.
In doubles, the Chinook tandem of Lauren Harshman and Cortney Gunderson cruised to the championship Saturday. They were rarely threatened in three matches, including a 6-0, 6-3 win over C/J-I’s Haley Erickson and Madeline Woods in the title match. Chinook’s Hattie Niederegger and Stella Rigg took home third-place honors after they beat Serenity Juedeman and Alexis Giles of Fort Benton in the doubles consolation match.
Now, all of the qualifiers from the Northern B-C divisional tourney will set their sights on Great Falls for the 2015 Class B-C state tournament. Chinook should be a favorite to repeat, but team’s from Cut Bank and Townsend will also be strong contenders.
The B-C state tournament runs Thursday through Saturday in Great Falls.
North/East B-C Girls Divisional
at Havre
Team scores
1. Chinook 65; 2. Chester/J-I 30; 3. Fort Benton 13; 4. Harlem 2.
Singles (five qualify for State)
1. Mariah Swank, Chinook; 2. Brooke Nicholson, Chinook; 3. Lauren Stewart, C/J-I; 4. Megan Pruttis, Chinook; 5. Sierra Swank, Chinook.
Doubles (four teams qualify)
1. Lauren Harshman/Courtney Gunderson, Chinook; 2. Haley Erickson/Madeline Woods, C/J-I; 3. Hattie Niederegger/Stella Rigg, Chinook; 4. Serenity Juedeman/Alesis Giles, Fort Benton.
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