BTen: Laguna falls in 9-9 draw with Buckley

Laguna Blanca and Buckley were nearly inseparable on Wednesday as the match came down to a 9-9 tie in a riveting CIF Division-4 playoff matchup. The riveting battle ended in a 70-68 game score in favor of Buckley, ending Laguna Blanca’s season.

“I am equally impressed with the way my guys played today as I was in their victory yesterday,” said coach Trevor Thorpe. “They fought for every game and nearly pulled off the upset, despite again having to play short a few starters.”

Phillip Hicks served as the catalyst on the day at the No.1 berth as he pulled of an upset win over Buckley’s Spencer Schifino. Hicks swept all three of his singles matches on the day. Alex Furukawa additionally contributed two set wins in the singles department, dispatching the No.2 and No.3 teams 6-1,6-1.

In doubles, Martin Barnick partnered with Atty Roddick to secure two set wins while the duo of Henry Farrell and Ethan Tyng dropped only three games in their last two matches after faltering in the first.

“We’ve come an incredibly long way from the first week of practice, when there was considerable doubt we’d be able to field a team this season at all, winning 13 matches in the regular season and playing two gutsy playoff matches. Of those that played in today’s match, only Barnick will be graduating this year, so we will definitely be back and better next season,” added Thorpe.
It was the second 9-9 tie in a row for the Owls, who advanced on Tuesday from the wild-card round.