From staff reports

sports@joplinglobe.com

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. — Joplin’s John Lazenby and Thomas Jefferson’s doubles team of Will Humphreys-Joe Newman advanced to today’s semifinal round of the MSHSAA Tennis Championships on Friday at Cooper Tennis Center.

Lazenby, a junior, knocked off district champions in the first two rounds of the Class 2 singles bracket. He edged Matt Waite of Kirkwood 7-5, 7-5 in the first round and Andrew Ellis of St. Joseph Central 6-1, 6-1 in the quarterfinals.

Waite was 28-2 entering Thursday’s team tournament semis, and Ellis was 16-3.

“A lot of coaches were saying (Waite) was the favorite to win the whole tournament,” Joplin coach Sean McWilliams said. “It was a 21/2 hour match, a tremendous battle between two good players. It was unfortunate for both players they had to play each other early on, but with the way the (MSHSAA) sets it up with no seeding, that’s what John drew.

“The second-round match was easier but not an easy match by any means. John is playing at the top of his game, peaking at the right time.”

Lazenby (29-2), a junior, plays sophomore Nishaad Balachandran of Parkway Central (20-5) in a semifinal match today at 9 a.m. Balachandran, like Lazenby, was a district runner-up and beat two district winners on Friday.

The other semifinal matches Glendale freshman Paul Nahon (30-2) against St. Louis CBC sophomore Matt Kuelker (15-2).

Joplin’s doubles team of Alan Liu-Michael McCreary went 1-2 on Friday, ending their season.

They lost to Adam and Ryan King of Lafayette (Wildwood) 7-6 (7-5), 6-2 in the first round, defeated Jonathan Kootman-Ashworth Sampath of Parkway Central 7-6 (7-5), 6-4 in the consolation bracket and lost to Corey Johnson-Alec Russell of North Kansas City 6-4, 6-4 in the consolation quarterfinals.

Liu-McCreary, two seniors who won the district crown two weeks ago, finish with a 25-7 record.

“They came out with the same attitude as John, fight as hard as they can,” McWilliams said. “They were playing real well. They ran up against some stiff competition. All three of their matches could have gone eithe rway. They had a tough draw and came out on the short end. I’m proud of how they played.”

Class 1

Thomas Jefferson’s Humphreys and Newman breezed past Alex Goel-John Stillman of John Burroughs 6-0, 6-1 in the first round, then gained a bit of team revenge with a victory over Charlie Curtis-Will McAllister of St. Louis MICDS 6-4, 6-3 in the quarterfinals.

“The match against the MICDS team was like a semifinal match,” Cavaliers coach Diego Camacho said. “Will and Joe played really good. They were consistent with the strategy. They put it together today and got the victory.”

Humphreys-Newman, both seniors, take a 13-1 record into today’s 9 a.m. semifinal match against Cody Greenlaw-Morgan Saunders of Chillicothe (18-5). Also reaching the semifinal round were Duchesne’s Paul Amiri-Zach Merkle (6-1) and Clayton’s Dakin Sloss-Orion Wilkinson (14-1).

Sloss-Wilkinson began their tournament with a 6-3, 6-0 victory over the Cavaliers’ Coleman Bandy-Andrew Prigmore. Bandy-Prigmore then won two consolation bracket matches over Kansas City teams, downing Max Johnston-J.D. Knapp of Barstow 6-2, 7-5 and Jared Connell-Kyle Holt of St. Pius X 6-0, 3-6, 6-1.

Bandy-Prigmore (11-3) play MICDS’ Curtis-McAllister (8-1) in today’s consolation semifinals.

Thomas Jefferson’s Spenser Newman (16-2) is alive in the singles consolation bracket, playing Jay Gillespie of Pembroke Hill (21-4) today.

Newman lost his first-round match to Daniel Agung of Sikeston 3-6, 7-5, 6-1 before beating Jake Long of Harrisonville 6-2, 6-1 and Justin Arnold of Farmington 6-2, 6-3.

David Evans, the Cavaliers’ other singles entry, lost 6-2, 6-0 to defending state champion Andrew Mellow of MICDS in the first round. Evans downed Forrest Richmond of John Burroughs 7-6 (9-7), 6-2 in the consolation round before losing to Ethan Stoops of West Plains 6-3, 7-5. Evans ended the season with a 13-5 record.