Beaufort Academy gets redemption by capturing SCISA 1-A tennis crown

There were some anxious moments near the end, to be sure. But unlike last year, Beaufort Academy’s tennis team wasn’t sweating Friday’s outcome as much as how soon everyone could let down their guard.

If freshman Daniel Richards could close out a third set of singles against Lowcountry Prep’s Bryce Landstreet, the Eagles would capture the SCISA Class 1-A crown without needing to play doubles. Otherwise, everyone would have to pick up a racquet again.

“We were sort of standing and waiting for him to clinch the victory,” coach Larry Scheper said. “He came through, and we’re happy.”

The winning point brought a 5-1 victory and a stream of excited Eagles onto the Pinewood Prep court, joyous not only for Friday’s triumph but for completion of a mission that began with last year’s championship loss that went to the final point of a third-set tiebreak in the final doubles match.

Lowcountry Prep was crowned champion then, but couldn’t match BA’s depth Friday in Summerville.

“Knowing what happened in the finals last year,” Scheper said, “to come back now and win it made it so much better. All the hard work paid off.”

The Eagles won for the 11th time in 15 matches, with their only losses coming against Hilton Head Prep — which won a third straight SCISA 2-A title on Thursday — and 2-A runner-up Hilton Head Christian.

They’d also already beaten Lowcountry Prep twice this spring, the second time by a similar 5-1 count.

“I believe (Lowcountry Prep) was pretty confident they would beat us, because they beat us in the final last year,” Scheper said. “But we in turn were ready and did what we came out to do.

“We were confident, but not overconfident. In the playoffs, sometimes you get a little tight when it comes down to the last match of the season. But they overcame any nerves in the beginning and got the job done.”

Though No.1 player William Lindsay was vanquished in straight sets by Olwaescan Olutungi, the rest of the Eagles managed to pick up the slack. James Carden, Cain Richards, Mitchell Russell and sixth-grader Jack Staley all posted straight-sets victories, assuring the Eagles would lead after singles.

The only question was whether they would clinch it outright.

Daniel Richards was in a battle all day, dropping the first set 4-6 before battling back to take the second 7-5 as he and Landstreet were rarely separated by more than a break. That brought the tiebreak, as both teams watched intently from outside the court.

“They had one rally for about 21 shots (that Richards won),” Scheper said. “That was the deciding point, really. Once that was done, Daniel realized he was in control. The other guy was tired, and couldn’t do too much after that.”

It was a crowning moment for the Eagles, who claimed the trophy in Scheper’s fourth season of building the program.

“I think we may be just a little ahead of schedule,” Scheper said. “We’ve been working hard for the last four years. It takes that long to build a program so they can believe in you and trust what you’re doing. It all turned out well.”

With one championship coming home, he said, the Eagles are already wanting more.

“They’re ready to get going tomorrow for next year,” Scheper said. “They don’t want to stop now. We want to make a run like Hilton Head Prep, yes sir.”

This story was originally published May 6, 2016 at 8:15 PM with the headline "Beaufort Academy gets redemption by capturing SCISA 1-A tennis crown."