The Lake Placid girls tennis No. 2 doubles team of Avory Lemoy, at net, and Alida Carlson rally during a match against Seton Catholic on May 20. (News photo — Chris Gaige)

LAKE PLACID — The Lake Placid boys tennis team was in peak form on May 20 as its players fought their way to a 4-1 victory over the Seton Catholic Knights on their home courts.

Lake Placid’s Henry Becker led the way in the No. 1 singles spot with a 6-0, 6-3 victory over Seton’s Kevin Nguyen. Becker was up 5-0 at one point in the second set before Nguyen reeled off a string of three games in a row. Becker then broke Nguyen’s serve at 5-3 to get the win.

At No. 2 singles, Parker Scanio served up a bagel, winning the first set 6-0. There was no second set, as his opponent, Yohan Yong, retired from the match due to an injury, giving Scanio the victory.

Boys tennis coach Tyler Chase was pleased with Becker and Scanio. Both graduating seniors, he said he would miss them a lot next year, but was glad to see them saving their best for last.

He commended Becker for holding steady and playing “smart tennis.” Even with a commanding lead, matches can often turn on a dime, and it’s easy for players to get nervous or upset with themselves — and subsequently stifle the quality of their play — in these moments.

SLP’s Emma Clark, center, fights through Ogdensburg’s Abby Williams (1) and Brooke Irvine (3) during a game on May 20. (News photo — Parker O’Brien)

Chase said he was proud of Becker for standing strong when it mattered most. Despite losing a few games so close to the finish line, when it’s often the easiest to become frustrated, Becker remained calm and composed to get the job done.

With its two singles matches in the bag, it didn’t take too much longer for the team overall to notch a victory for the day, securing the third and deciding match when the No. 2 doubles team of Liam Gotham and Levi Barney powering through to a convincing 6-2, 6-2 win over Seton’s Gabriel Dolan and Theo Humbert.

Chase thought it was the duo’s best performance of their career so far.

“They played really well,” he said. “We were trying out some new things, which they were receptive to.”

Chase said that for most of the season, Gotham and Barney would play points, as is common in doubles tennis, with one player at the net and the other hanging back at the baseline. On Tuesday, Chase switched up the strategy and had the boys experiment with attacking the net in unison, bringing the baseline player forward for a more dominating offense.

Chase’s gambit paid off. Gotham and Barney’s agile footwork, quick reactions and team coordination allowed them to fortify their court coverage during many of the rallies, preventing their opponents from getting much past them.

“I was really nice to see it working,” Chase said.

The other two boys’ doubles matches went the distance — each going to deciding third sets. On one level, some of the pressure was off, as the Bomber boys were guaranteed to carry the day regardless of those outcomes. However, lots still remained on the line.

The road to the state tournament at Flushing Meadows first requires players here to make it through sectionals. The seeding, which largely determines how difficult a draw a player will have, is based on individual singles or doubles performances rather than overall school team scores.

With that in players’ minds, there was another added bit of suspense. The matches began earlier as Seton Catholic found itself in a time crunch — there was a National Honor Society induction ceremony that many of its players were going to attend.

Their coach initially thought that he would have to end things early. But at the last minute, just as the bus had started and its players were getting ready to head back north, Seton’s athletic director called back and said the show could go on.

At this point, the No. 1 doubles match — one of the last to begin play — resumed at one set apiece. The Blue Bombers came up clutch, as teammates Porter Dominesey and Ian Munsen pulled off a comeback, winning 4-6, 6-3, 6-4.

Seton’s lone win of the day came at No. 3 doubles, where Joshua Cai and Ryan Jenkins had their own comeback, defeating Bombers Hayden Damour and Samir Dimuccio 1-6, 7-5, 6-3. It was a match that looked promising at first for Lake Placid, but one that ultimately got away.

“I wish they were able to have finished it off,” Chase said. “But, that’s how it goes.”

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GIRLS TENNIS

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Seton Catholic 5, Lake Placid 0

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The Lake Placid girls tennis team fell to Seton Catholic in a clean sweep on Tuesday. At No. 1 singles, the Blue Bombers’ Jennifer Giroux kept it close early, but was ultimately beaten by Seton’s Chloe Lawliss, who won 7-5, 6-1.

The match was a spectator’s delight, as many of the rallies were extended. Each player was able to move fast, cover the court well and chase down balls that seemed unreachable at first. In the end, Lawliss’s ability to dictate shot placement and control the direction of many rallies proved decisive.

The No. 2 singles ended up being the closest match of the day, as the Knights’ Grace Bleeker defeated Lake Placid’s Fiona Sullivan 5-7, 6-2, 6-4. Seton’s No. 1 doubles team fo Olivia Gauthier and Sophie Kabeli defeated the Blue Bombers’ Sophie Spanburgh and Zoe Carpenter 7-5, 6-3.

At No. 2 doubles, the Knights’ Grace Trombley and Monique Allen bested Lake Placid’s Alida Carlson and Avory Lemoy 6-1, 6-4. At No. 3 doubles, Bella Spiegel and Lenka Tardif defeated the Blue Bombers’ Laura Geurrero and Yesleidys Alverez 6-1, 6-0 The Blue Bombers are back in action on Friday against the Peru Nighthawks. It’s a home game and senior night for Lake Placid, although with rain showers possible, Chase advised potential spectators to stay tuned.

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GIRLS LACROSSE

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SLP 16, OFA 2

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The Saranac Lake Placid girls lacrosse team secured a dominant 16-2 win over the Ogdensburg Free Academy Blue Devils on Tuesday, May 20 at the North Elba Athletic Fields.

Emma Clark paced SLP with five goals, while Lizzie Harvey and Tyler Burth each netted four goals. Juliana Tremblay added two goals and Maya Garrison scored one for SLP, which improved to 10-4 overall. Ogdensburg dropped to 4-10.

Clark and Burth had two assists each for SLP, while Tremblay, Katy Hoffnagle, Wren Crist, Kelsi Burth and Norah Galvin each had one. SLP’s goaltender, Maddie Clark, had another outstanding game, recording seven saves.

After honoring its two seniors — Maya Garrison and Norah Galvin — SLP got off to a slow start as the team was tied with the Blue Devils 1-1 in the first quarter.

However, in the second quarter, SLP got hot, scoring four goals to take a 5-2 lead into halftime. Backed by aggressive defense, quick passing and solid shots, SLP did not allow another goal the remainder of the contest, while scoring five in the third quarter and six in the fourth.

With the win, SLP finished the regular season third in Section X behind only Canton and Salmon River. The team will compete in Section X’s Class D playoff as the No. 3 seed, while receiving a first-round bye. SLP will take on No. 2 Salmon River in the sectional semifinal round on the road Tuesday.

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BOYS LACROSSE

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Massena 17, SLP 8

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Scottie Nicholas, a junior, netted five goals on May 15 to break the Saranac Lake boys lacrosse single-season record — now 42 total scores — during Saranac Lake Placid’s 17-8 loss to the Massena Raiders at home.

The record was previously held by Nicholas’ uncle, Keegan Muldowney, who netted 41 goals in 2008. Nicholas, a junior, has averaged more than three goals a game this season. He now has 61 total in his two-year varsity career.

Along with Nicholas’ five tallies on May 15, Lukas Miemis scored twice for SLP, while Braydon Harvey had one goal. Mik Denkenberger added three assists, while Miemis had two and Harvey had one.

SLP also suffered a 22-4 loss to the Ogdensburg Free Academy Blue Devils on Monday, May 19.

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BASEBALL

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Ticonderoga 9, Lake Placid 8

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After winning its last four outings, the Lake Placid baseball team was defeated by the Ticonderoga Sentinels 8-6 at home on Thursday, May 15.

The Sentinels took an early 4-0 lead in the top of the second inning, before the Blue Bombers responded with five runs in the bottom half of the second and in the third to take a 5-4 advantage.

Ticonderoga then reclaimed the lead in the fourth inning with three more runs, before Lake Placid’s Jon Caito blasted a solo home run over the fence in the fifth to bring the game within one. However, the Blue Bombers were held scoreless after that, snapping their win streak. The team is now 8-3 overall.

Lake Placid tallied 11 hits in the ball game with Vann Morrelli leading the way with three, while Caito and Owen Lawrence each had two hits. Max Hyman had a triple for the Blue Bombers, while Phoenix Colby had a double.

Lake Placid used three different pitchers — Lawrence, Morrelli and Jarrett Mihill — on May 15. The trio earned five total strikeouts and allowed nine hits.

Ticonderoga’s Jackson Dorsett led his team with three hits, while Trevor Blanchard and Dom Crossman each had two. Rowen Bechtold pitched seven innings for the Sentinels and struck out six batters.

The Blue Bombers also fell to the Warrensburg Burgers 21-20 on the road on May 20.