Panthers cruise in SCISA semifinals

SUMMERVILLE — Pinewood Prep punched its ticket to its third straight SCISA Class AAA boys' state tennis final Friday afternoon in almost routine fashion with a 7-2 victory over Hammond School.

With the victory, the defending champion Panthers (16-3) started to focus on another confrontation with lower bracket top seed Hilton Head Prep in the state title match, probably Tuesday in Walterboro. A year ago in Walterboro, Pinewood Prep rallied from a 4-0 deficit to upend the talented Hilton Head team in the state final.

Hammond (12-5) made the home team wait until doubles to wrap up its berth in the final by winning at Nos. 2 and 4 singles, but the upper bracket top-seeded Panthers swept all three doubles. Sixth-grader Adam Elliget and senior captain Scott Hayes quickly posted a comfortable 6-0, 6-4 win over Hammond's Will Besley and Ted Lydon in No. 3 doubles for the clinching fifth point.

The doubles win kept all-stater Elliget's unbeaten streak in both singles and doubles alive for the year. Elliget was a 6-1, 6-2 winner over Besley at No. 5 singles.

"Coming out of singles with four wins was the key," said Pinewood Prep coach Heinz Maurer. "We had to win only one doubles match. But all three of our matches with Hammond this season came down to doubles."

Pinewood Prep beat the second-seeded Skyhawks by 7-2 and 6-3 margins in the regular season.

The key to the 4-2 singles edge for Pinewood Prep probably was freshman Jacob Cumbie's 6-0, 6-2 win over Ira Usry at No. 3. "Jacob won convincingly against a boy who had beaten him twice this season," Maurer said.

Looking ahead to the state final, which originally was scheduled for Monday but was switched to Tuesday at the request of Hilton Head Prep, Maurer expects another tough match. The Dolphins are especially strong at the top two positions with sophomores Nicky Kunz and Mo Hookaylo, who led Hilton Head Prep to a sweep of the top four singles spots in a 6-3 win over Porter-Gaud on Thursday in the other semifinal.

Before winning last year's state title, Pinewood Prep had lost to Porter-Gaud in the 2006 state championship match.

Singles: Klingenberg (PW) d. Greenberg 6-2, 6-2; Horst (H) d. Hayes 3-6, 6-4; Cumbie (PW) d Usry 6-0, 6-2; Lydon (H) d. J. Elliget 7-5, 6-9; A. Elliget (PW) d. Besley 6-1, 6-2; Wert (PW) d. James 6-0,6-0.

Doubles: Klingenberg-Fishburne (PW) d. Greenberg-Horst 7-6, 7-6. Cumbie-Telliget (PW) d. Usry- James 8-2. A.Elliget- S.Hayes (PW) d. Lydon-Besley 6-0, 6-4.

Reach James Beck at jdbeck@postandcourier.com or (843) 937-5540.