Franklin’s Emma Williams returns a ball against Center Grove during Friday’s sectional championship.
Sam Findley | For the Daily Journal
Franklin had already clinched its sectional tennis title over Center Grove with a 3-1 lead.
But there was still some unfinished business at No. 3 singles.
Franklin senior Emma Williams had let a 5-2 lead slip away in the second set, and her match with Center Grove’s Emerson Donaldson was headed to a third set. With rain looming and the match decided, they agreed to play a 10-point tiebreaker.
Williams managed to shake off her frustrations to win 6-4, 6-7 (5-7), 10-7 Friday to give the No. 8 Grizzly Cubs a 4-1 victory over the host Trojans. It’s the second consecutive sectional title for the Grizzly Cubs (23-0), who will play today’s Southport-Perry Meridian winner in a regional semifinal Tuesday at Center Grove.
Williams had recently lost for the first time since her sophomore year against Avon.
“I knew I needed to go point by point,” Williams said. “Even though my team had won, I didn’t want to let them down. I wanted them to be able to trust me to win. Especially after the loss to Avon, I really needed this. It’s a confidence booster.”
Franklin coach Rusty Hughes said Williams is always her own worst critic.
“Nobody is harder on Emma than Emma,” he said. “Emma gets frustrated when she wins 6-0, 6-1. She is just a perfectionist.
“I’m proud of everyone on our team. They all stepped up.”
Trojans coach Debby Burton had made some changes in her lineup after a 5-0 loss to Franklin on April 18.
“Center Grove is the real deal; they’re really good,” Hughes said. “Our team is kind of a quiet team that take care of business. We don’t get rattled too much. We did a good job of staying tough out there.”
The Grizzly Cubs got the clinching point at No. 1 doubles when senior Ailyn Hendricks and freshman Marnie Moore won 6-4, 7-6 (8-6) over Trojan juniors Ava Beecher and Lauren Dick.
Hendricks said their nerves did flare up trying to close out the match; Moore agreed.
“It’s scary to have a 5-0 lead in the tiebreaker, but we got it back,” Moore said.
The Trojans tied it a 6-all before Franklin got the final two points.
Moore said it has helped having a senior as a partner.
The partners said they knew they would be pushed hard by the 14th-ranked Trojans.
“All the practice matches we’ve had have prepared us for this moment,” Moore said. “We knew all of us had to fight and we did it.”
Center Grove got its lone point at No. 2 singles, where freshman Sloane Small topped junior Chelsie Rayl 6-1, 6-2. It was Rayl’s first loss of the season.
“She’s the best No. 2 player we played all year,” Hughes said of Small.
Grizzly Cubs junior Rylie Wilkison remained unbeaten with a 6-1, 6-1 victory over sophomore Val Arriz at No. 1 singles.
“Rylie has been a lock all year long,” Hughes said.
Franklin’s No. 2 doubles team of sophomore Kate Pinnick and junior Kennedy Urban won 7-6 (7-5), 6-2 over juniors Anna Runkle and Peri Small.
Center Grove finished with a 13-10 mark.
“I’m super proud of how they competed,” Burton said. “They competed until the end. They didn’t change their game or game plan. They just kept fighting.”
