Paige Zumbrun closes out Boyd-Buchanan tennis win

Under any other circumstances, there might have been a little fear from the

photo Boyd-Buchanan coach Carter Cardwell

Boyd-Buchanan sideline as senior tennis player Paige Zumbrun began her second-set tiebreaker Thursday afternoon against East Hamilton's Katie Loftin. Consider coach Carter Cardwell among those who weren't concerned.

Eleven points later, Zumbrun showed there was no reason to worry.

Although letting a second-set lead slip away, she managed to defeat Loftin 7-4 in the tiebreaker, clinching the Lady Bucs' second straight Region 3-A/AA championship with a 4-1 victory over the Lady Hurricanes at Standifer Gap.

Cardwell said Zumbrun had played a huge role in the team's District 5 championship victory over Collegedale Academy on Tuesday, despite cramping up.

"She looked at me that evening and said, 'Coach, give me five minutes,'" Cardwell said. "I'm proud of how the team came out and played against another tough opponent. The girls had a tough mindset early and had a lot of energy."

The Lady Bucs (15-1) got straight-set victories from Zumbrun, Taylor Eades, Allie Keasler and Katie Delay and avoided the match going into doubles -- something they couldn't prevent last season, when they won 4-3 over East Hamilton.

Taylor Johnson, the District 6-A/AA singles champion, claimed the Lady Hurricanes' sole victory at No. 1.

"We just weren't ready," East Hamilton coach Michael Jackson said. "We're not at the point yet where we're ready to make that step. We got behind early in matches and just couldn't recover.

"It just wasn't our day, but we hope to be back next year."

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