PLAYOFF TENNIS: North Hall girls, Jefferson boys advance to Elite 8; GHS girls, Branch boys fall

By AccessWDUN Staff

Posted 8:57PM on Monday, April 22, 2019

JEFFERSON — The North Hall girls tennis team went on the road and took a solid 3-0 victory over Region 8-3A champion Jefferson Monday afternoon.

The Lady Trojans advanced to the quarterfinals of the Class 3A tournament for the first time since 2017 when they made it to the semifinal round. They next will travel to Brantley County near Brunswick looking for a spot in the Final Four.

North Hall got wins from the No. 1 doubles team of Raquel Kallab and Sydney Patterson, the No. 2 doubles team of Ella Oxley and Lauren White, and got the clincher from Baylee Turner at No. 3 singles.

JEFFERSON BOYS 3,
NORTH HALL 0

For the second straight season, the North Hall boys fell in the second round on the road.

The Trojans finished the season at 11-10 on the year. However, the return of six starters in 2020.

Jefferson, the Region 8-3A champion, next will play host to Region 2-3A champion Appling County in the quarterfinals. The Dragons are looking for another deep playoff runs after making it to the Class 4A semifinals in 2018.

ST. PIUS BOYS 3,
FLOWERY BRANCH 2

The Falcons, who won the Class 5A state title in 2018, could not past the Golden Lions in the second round of the Class 4A tournament this season.

Flowery Branch got wins from Drayton Matus at No. 1 singles and from Jack Thomas at No. 2 singles. St. Pius took both the doubles points with straight-set wins.

The key match came at No. 3 singles where the Falcons' Caden Caldwell battled into the third set before falling after suffering severe leg cramps in the final set.

CENTENNIAL GIRLS 4,
GAINESVILLE 1

The Lady Red Elephants could not past a tough Lady Knights squad at Longwood Park.

Centennial was the No. 4 seed from Region 7-6A but had plenty of playoff experience after advancing to the Final Fout in 2018.

Gainesville's lone win came from Hannah Williams at No. 2 singles.