By RAY BENTON
Leader sports editor
Beebe doubled up on team tennis championships in the 5A East Conference this year. The Badgers’ boys and girls team won the league title last week with 17 points apiece, each team finishing well ahead of second-place Nettleton.
The Nettleton boys scored 11 team points while the Lady Raiders scored nine.
“Everyone played really, really well,” Beebe tennis coach Carla Choate said. “We had 10 players earn points for us, so it really was a team effort and they’re all going to state.”
The Lady Badgers swept the top two positions in girls’ singles. Sarah White won the singles championship, just getting past teammate Madeline Poe for the title.
Partners Casey DeRoche and Annlee Glass took second in girls doubles, while Sarah McDaniel and Chloe Breckenridge too fourth in girls doubles. Than Kersey and Ben Groves won boys doubles. Jared Aschbrenner finished as boys singles runner up, while KJ Maples took third in boys singles.
The class 5A state tournament is Oct. 17 and 18 at Hot Springs Lakeside. The host school will be one of the favorites heading into the tournament.
“They have a really strong team,” Choate said. “Greenwood is also always very good. It will be a great tournament.”
