By Cort Reynolds

LIMA – Three Bluffton High School boys tennis players qualified for the Port Clinton district with strong showings on day one of the UNOH Div. II sectional tournament on Thursday, May 15 in Lima.

Third-seeded Branson Hilty won two matches Thursday in the singles flight to advance to the semifinals Saturday, and qualify for districts.

Senior Hilty had a first round bye, then beat Ollie Chisholm of St. Marys in the round 16 by a 6-3, 6-2 count.

In the quarterfinals, Hilty rolled over Van Wert’s Keaton Foster 6-1, 6-3 to reach the semifinals, which start at 9 a.m. Saturday morning.

Any player or doubles team who makes it to the sectional final four advances automatically to the district tournament next week.

Pirate senior Jack Brauen captured his first round match over Ada’s Justin Bowden 6-1, 6-0. Brauen then won his round of 16 bout 6-2, 6-3 to reach the quarterfinals.

But in the round of eight he was eliminated by second-seeded Jake Ackroyd of St. Marys 7-5, 6-2 to miss districts by one win.

Hilty will face Ackroyd in the single semifinals Saturday. Top-seeded Eben Jackson of Elida will face Ada senior southpaw Nathan Williams in the other semifinal.

Bluffton southpaw Nick Lovett won his first singles match 6-2, 6-3 over Nate Niemeyer of LCC. He was then eliminated in the round of 16 by top seed Jackson 6-1, 6-1.

The fourth-seeded Pirate doubles tandem of Grady Coonfare and Isaiah Kohli also won two matches to reach the semis and qualify for the district tourney.

The duo cruised 6-0, 6-0 in their round of 16 mismatch. In the quarterfinals, they won 6-2, 6-0 to reach the semis Saturday against the top-seeded Elida team of Ben Osman and Jaden Neuman.

The Bluffton duo of Hudson Phillips and Levi Antrim gutted out their first round win in a third-set tiebreaker 6-2, 4-6, 7-6 (7-4) Thursday.

But they were eliminated in the quarterfinals by the second-seeded Elida tandem of Staley and Altenbach 6-1, 6-2.

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