Thursday March 28th, 2024 8:30PM

Tennis: Branch, GHS set for title re-matches in 8-AAAAA championships

By staff
FLOWERY BRANCH -- Old enemies on the court will battle again on Thursday for another region championship.

Both Flowery Branch and Gainesville tennis teams played their way into the Region 8-AAAAA title matches on Wednesday.

The two foes did the same last season, with the Lady Red Elephants and Falcons claiming crowns.

A re-match was certainly expected, as all four teams entered as the top two seeds in each bracket, and all four cruised, dropping just one match during the day.

The Lady Falcons dominated Cedar Shoals 3-0 with wins from Nicole Morris, 6-2, 6-2, at No. 1 singles, Durden Smith, 6-0, 6-0, at No. 2 singles and Brooke Kane and Breanna Benton, 6-0, 6-0, at No. 1 doubles.

Flowery Branch's girls then swept Clarke Central behind wins for Durden Smith, 6-0, 6-2, at No. 2 singles, Kane and Benton, 6-1, 6-3, at No. 1 doubles, and Ashley Coleman and Kaia Clark, 6-2, 6-0, at No. 2 doubles.

Meanwhile, the Gainesville girls opened with a forfeit win before defeating Heritage 3-0. Georgia Summer won 6-2, 6-1 at No. 1 singles, while Katherine Wright won 6-4, 6-1 at No. 2 singles. Morgan Mercer and Suzanne Smith also won 6-1, 6-2 at No. 1 doubles.

On the boys side, the Falcons opened with a 3-0 sweep of Loganville, including wins for Beau Millwood, 6-0, 6-0, at No. 1 singles, Watson Lewis, 6-2, 6-4, at No. 2 singles and Taylor Fiorello and Clay King, 6-0, 6-0, at No. 1 doubles.

The Flowery Branch boys then swept Clarke Central 3-0, with wins for Millwood, 6-0, 6-2,
Phillip Correa, 6-0, 6-1, at No. 2 singles and Quang Cao and Austin Higgs, 6-1, 6-0 at No. 2 doubles.

Gainesville's boys also cruised past Cedar Shoals 3-0 thanks to wins from Graham McKinnon, 6-0 6-0, at No. 1 singles, Roan Thompson, 6-1, 6-1, at No. 2 singles and Reagan Williams and Nick Dillard, 6-0, 6-0, at No. 1 doubles.

The Red Elephants then defeated Heritage 3-1, with McKinnon winning 6-1, 6-0, Davis Brown, 6-3, 6-0, at No. 3 singles and Trevor Munn and Charles Calkins, 6-2, 6-0, at No. 2 doubles.

The Flowery Branch and Gainesville girls will face off at 1 p.m. Thursday at Flowery Branch, while the Red Elephants and Falcons will battle at approximately 3 p.m. at Flowery Branch (the site was shifted from Davis Middle School).
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