By Stephen Henderson

Close matches that just could not be turned into wins was one of the issues the Patrick County High School Cougar tennis team faced last Tuesday afternoon. The Bassett Bengals defeated the Cougars 9-0.

“We played a lot of close matches and were in a position to win in every singles match but couldn’t close any out,” said PCHS tennis coach Andrew Terry. “Each match was a battle, and unforced errors and frustration got the best of us, I think,” he added.

“We didn’t play our best tennis, and you have to grind out points when you are having off days to find a way to win,” he said. “We simply didn’t do that vs. Bassett,” Terry added.

“I do think we are still improving, and once we find consistency in our game, we will be tough to play,” Terry explained. “Dealing with a five-player roster due to injury really puts a lot of pressure on each player to perform well,” he admitted. “We will get there.”

Bassett def PC 9-0

Singles: #1-Damian Fitzgerald def Garrett Worley (PC) 9-7; #2-David Bishop def Frankie LaComa (PC) 8-6; #3-Jacob Glass def Jacob McNulty (PC) 8-6; #4-Austin Hopkins def Sandile Hill (PC) 8-5; #5-James Turner def Brandon Tarpley (PC) 8-5; Josh Landon win by forfeit.

Doubles: #1-Fitzgerald/Bishop def Worley/LaComa 8-2; #2-Glass/Turner def McNulty/Hill 8-3; #3-Hopkins/Joyce win by forfeit.

The Cougars have no matches slated for this week.