Sikeston finds bright spots after back-to-back losses

SIKESTON — Despite suffering consecutive 9-0 losses in recent matches to Cape Central (14-3) and Dexter (5-6), the Sikeston boys’ tennis team found some bright spots to build on.

Although the Bulldogs (2-7) didn’t earn a win, the team played several tightly contested matches that were a testament to their competitive spirit.

“I am very proud of our team today,” said Sikeston coach Spencer Ayers following the team’s loss to

Dexter. ”Levi Douglass has been playing hard and putting up good fights after being moved to the No. 1 spot. Leo Huang has been playing solid. Jake Buchanan had an amazing match today. He may not have got the wins but he fought incredibly hard and had a great showing in both singles and doubles.”

Buchanan and Michael Walton lost a heartbreaker on a tiebreaker after a long battle with Cooper Worley and Drew Chamberlain.

“We had a few players who finished two matches before they were done with that one,” Ayers added. “Then right after [Buchanan] had another intense battle in singles where he used his athleticism to stay tough moving all over the court.”

Sikeston has been dealing with some injuries, which left the No. 6 spot open.

“Today Benjamin Gilmore got a shot to move up to varsity and played extremely well,” Ayers said. “I couldn't have been prouder of him battling and hitting consistent balls.”

The scores weren’t nearly as competitive against Cape Central.

“They all played a lot better than the score indicates,” Ayer said. “We had a lot of close games, several going to deuce. A lot of long rallies. Unfortunately, we just kept coming out on the wrong side. I was proud of the fight and effort the team put in. No one gave up or let up after getting down.”

Although the results may seem discouraging, the Bulldogs are determined to learn from their mistakes and come back stronger in their next match.

Sikeston will compete at the Farmington Tournament this weekend, and host Notre Dame (11-3) on Monday, May 1.

__DEXTER 9, SIKESTON 0__

SINGLES

No. 1 — Peyton Boles defeated Levi Douglass 8-1.

No. 2 — Lawson Bloker defeated Leo Huang 8-1

No. 3 — Cooper Worley defeated Jake Buchanan 8-3.

No. 4 — Drew Chamberlain defeated Charles Robinson 8-2.

No. 5 — Logan Jones defeated Michael Walton 8-3.

No. 6 — Rhyder Williams defeated Benjamin Gilmore 9-6.

DOUBLES

No. 1 — Boles/Blocker defeated Douglass/Huang 8-0.

No. 2 — Worley/Chamberlain defeated Buchanan/Walton 8-8 (8-1).

No. 3 — Jones/Williams defeated Robinson/Gilmore 8-0.

__CAPE CENTRAL 9, SIKESTON 0__

SINGLES

No. 1 — Jacob Ford defeated Levi Douglass 8-0.

No. 2 — Elijah Peters defeated Leo Huang 8-1

No. 3 — Eann Gardner defeated Jake Buchanan 8-1.

No. 4 — Zach Borowiak defeated Charles Robinson 8-0.

No. 5 — Gabe Shelton defeated Michael Walton 8-1.

No. 6 — Mohamad Roumany defeated Benjamin Gilmore 8-3.

DOUBLES

No. 1 — Peters/Gardner defeated Douglass/Huang 8-1.

No. 2 — Ford/Shelton defeated Robinson/Buchanan 8-0.

No. 3 — Borowiak/Roumany defeated Walton/Gilmore 8-0.