By Tom Robinson, NEPASportsNation.com
KINGSTON – The rest of the Wyoming Valley Conference boys tennis teams had gotten out of the way, completing their seasons on schedule, leaving the title to be decided in the WVC’s final match.
Dallas and Wyoming Area moved inside – to the TK Tennis Academy – to play their title-deciding, make-up match Tuesday.
The No. 2 doubles team of Stephen Miller-Artem Smagin finally settled the conference race, lifting Dallas to a 3-2 victory and a repeat of its WVC championship.
Dallas took two of the three singles points, leaving the match to be decided in doubles where Wyoming Area needed to sweep both points, but fell behind early in both matches.
The Warriors fought back, looking to complete their climb through the ranks of the WVC, only to fall short when Miller-Smagin closed strong for a straight-sets victory.
Within seconds of Gabe Cable-Braidon Kostik completing a dramatic No. 1 doubles comeback for Wyoming Area to win in a third-set tiebreaker, Miller-Smagin locked up the decisive point.
“It’s the first time we’ve experienced it all year,” Miller said of being in a deciding match. “It was a pretty big deal, but I knew Artem and I could do it. We’ve played doubles for so long.
“I put all my faith in him and he put all his faith in me and we got the job done.”
Miller-Smagin defeated Eli Harding-Nick Ciretti, 6-3, 6-3.
While they were trying to build on their early leads in each set, Cable-Kostik were fighting back from down a set, down 4-0 in the third set, then behind again, 6-5, in the third set. They rallied to beat Mihir Mukul-Kevin Basalyga, 1-6, 6-4, 7-6 (7-3).
“That kind of put the pressure on us,” Smagin said. “I kind of in my mind told myself that we had the lead back (first doubles), so I wouldn’t think about it too much.”
Wyoming Area joined Wyoming Seminary as the only teams to score two points against Dallas this season.
Dallas took its three points, however, in straight sets.
The last point came when Miller-Smagin broke Wyoming Area’s serve for a 5-3 lead in the second set. The Mountaineers then held on Miller’s serve to end the match, the title race and the WVC season.
Luca DeRome defeated Dylan Stoss, 6-3, 6-2, while John Florencio won, 6-0, 6-1, over Nick Winsock at second and third singles for the other two Dallas points.
Wyoming Area won at first singles where Luca Argenio defeated Lucas Carver, 6-1, 6-4.
