Great Bend Post Sports
Just four days after hosting a small tennis invitational on Tuesday, the Lady Panther tennis team returned to the Shannon Schartz Courts Saturday for an 8-team tournament. Garden City scored 67 points for the team title, followed by Sterling with 52 points, and Great Bend with 33 points. Hoisington scored 25 points for sixth, and Ellinwood rounded out the field with 21 points.
Paige Stacey finished third at No. 1 singles. She went 2-1 in pool matches with an 8-6 win against Dodge City and an 8-0 win over Ellinwood's Brooklyn Reynolds before falling to Sterling 8-0. Stacey defeated Hoisington's Claire Crutcher 8-4 in the consolation finals.
Great Bend also had success at No. 2 doubles behind Mackezie LaViolette and Beth Hammeke. After an 8-6 loss to the eventual runners-up from Dodge City, the girls downed Ellinwood's Vivian Klepper and Shelby Steffan 8-3, then defeated Sterling 8-2. Great Bend fell to Liberal 8-3 in the consolation finals.
The No. 1 doubles team of Darcy Feist and Mac Lindberg finished sixth in their bracket. They opened with an 8-2 win against Dodge City, then edged Ellinwood's Grace Sturtz and Mahra Johnson 8-7 (2). The Lady Panthers closed out pool play with an 8-6 loss to Sterling, then fell to Trego 8-5 in the fifth-place match. Sturtz and Johnson fell to Garden City 8-7 (3) in a competitive title match.
Clarise Snapp also finished sixth in the No. 2 singles spot for Great Bend. After an 8-2 loss to Dodge City, she blanked Ellinwood 8-0 and lost an 8-7 (4) battle against Sterling. Snapp fell to Liberal 8-4 in the fifth-place match. Hoisington's Reese Merlau was sitting at 2-1 after pool matches but had to default out of the third-place match.