By Rick Butler
Special to the News-Times
SEARCY - El Dorado High had both its singles players advance to the semifinal round here Friday during the opening day of the Lion Invitational Tennis Tournament.
Seniors Macey Barker and Alexis Downum each notched two victories as the Lady Wildcats amassed 10 team points and stand in second place, trailing just Searcy. Barker knocked off Emily Teed of Searcy, 8-2 in the first round and followed it with an 8-2 win over Gericke of Conway. Downum got past Cabot’s David 8-3 in the first round and then took down Benton’s Alex Trudell, 8-2, in the quarterfinals.
The semifinal round will have a pair of El Dorado-Searcy matchups. Downum will meet Kathleen Formel while Barker battles Kamie Provence.
The El Dorado doubles team of Megan Barker and Abigail Van Sickle was dealt a first-round loss, 8-5, to Follett and Franklin of Cabot. The Lady Wildcats got doubles points from Emma Thomas and Shannon Huang. The duo knocked off Benton’s Boyd and Medders, 8-5, before failling to Searcy’s Molly Parker and Carman Barker, 8-0.
Parkers Chapel’s Hannah Barbaree was a first-round winner, beating Riverview’s Courtney Moore, 8-3, before falling in the quarterfinals.
On the boys side, the Wildcats got wins from Gary Gauthier in singles (8-5 over Conway’s Gifford) and Griffin Reed and Carson Ricker in doubles (8-1 over Parkers Chapel’s Korbin McAuliffe and Austin Looney) and from Derek Tompkins and Luke Alderson (8-2 over Riverview’s Nutt and Ditto). Both teams dropped quarterfinal matches.
Parkers Chapel’s Josh Arrington picked up a singles win, beating Riverview’s Dylan Kennedy, 8-1, before losing in the quarterfinals. The Trojans’ doubles team of Austin Fruge and Michael Brotherton knocked off a Benton duo before dropping a hard-fought match, 8-6, to Conway.
Play resumes at 9 a.m. today.
Girls Team Standings: 1) Searcy 16; 2) El Dorado 10; 3) Conway 8; 4) Cabot 6; 5) Benton 4; 6) Parkers Chapel 2.
Boys Team Standings: 1) Searcy 12; 2) Conway 10; 3) Parkers Chapel 8; 4) El Dorado 6; 5) Riverview 4; 5) Benton 4; 7) Cabot 2.