No. 14 Bulldogs finish second in state
No. 13 Mississippi Gulf Coast's John Teague Murphy won the No. 3 singles title Saturday at the MACJC/Region 23 Tournament, and the Bulldogs finished second to earn a trip to the NJCAA Championships next month in Plano, Texas.
"John Teague played lights out," Gulf Coast coach Bourgeois said. "The kid from Meridian was on fire, and John Teague answered everything he had and came back with more."
Murphy (So, Mobile, Ala./McGill-Toolen), the No. 1 seed, defeated Meridian's Zackery Presnall 6-2, 6-3. Presnall, the three-seed, was Murphy's third straight sets victim, but it far from easy.
"It was an exciting match," Bourgeois said. "It was electric to see him in his top form. He can play. He's a grinder, and you're going to have to beat him because he's going to keep 20 balls in play if he has to."
The Bulldogs had five other shots at titles, but Meridian won all of those to claim the team title with 22 points. Gulf Coast was six back, and both teams will be joined by Hinds at the national championship May 14-18 in Plano, Texas.
"Now we get ready to go to Plano and Waco and try to come back as the top-ranked team in the state at the NJCAA Tournament," Bourgeois said. "I think we are the best team in the men's and women's. We didn't play well yesterday for the women, and the men didn't play well today."
Bourgeois was named MACJC Men's Coach of the Year after his Bulldogs went undefeated in the regular season.
MACJC/Region 23 Tournament Finals
Meridian
Saturday
Singles
No. 3: (1) John Murphy (GC) def. (3) Zackery Presnall (Meridian) 6-2, 6-3
No. 4: (2) Callan Shinall (Meridian) def. (1) Evan Chubb (GC) 6-0, 6-3
No. 5: (2) Max Mauney (Meridian) def. (1) Reid Cudd (GC) 7-5, 6-2
No. 6: (1) Will Swindoll (Meridian) def. (2) Austin Moore (GC) 7-6, 6-0
Doubles
No. 2: (1) Marko Puric-Callan Shinall (Meridian) def. (2) John Murphy-Noah Rowell (GC) 6-2, 6-2
No. 3: (2) Ethan Clopton-Max Mauney (Meridian) def. (1) Evan Chubb-Reid Cudd (GC) 4-6, 6-3, 6-2
Unofficial team standings |
|
| Team | Points |
|---|---|
| 1. Meridian | 22 |
| 2. Gulf Coast | 16 |
| 3. Hinds | 9 |
| 4. Copiah-Lincoln | 8 |
| T5. Jones County | 4 |
| T5. Itawamba | 4 |
| T7. Holmes | 0 |
| T7. East Central | 0 |
For more information on MGCCC's 10 intercollegiate athletic teams, follow @MGCCCAthletics on Twitter and BulldogLIVE on Facebook, and go to mgcccbulldogs.com.
