The look of joy on Cece Maginot’s face after Wednesday’s match accurately summed up Crown Point’s season.
Maginot prevailed at No. 2 singles to help the Bulldogs defeat Lake Central 4-1 in the opening round of the Crown Point Sectional.
The victory extended an improbable year for the Bulldogs (16-2), who won the Duneland Athletic Conference title despite losing their top four players to graduation.
“Everyone could only focus on us losing four seniors, they wouldn’t focus on the fact that we still had a good team,” Maginot said. “This is a great moment. It’s the culmination of everything we’ve done over the past year.”
Maginot’s 6-3, 6-2 victory over Lake Central’s Claire Gronek reversed the result of the regular-season No. 2 singles match, won by the Indians (16-2).
“The first time she played Claire, she struggled,” Crown Point coach Brian Elston said. “Claire moved her well. Cece didn’t play well against her, so she was very determined the last couple weeks to play against Claire. She had a really good practice and got off to a good start in the match.”
Maginot, a junior, leaped from junior varsity No. 1 singles to varsity No. 2 singles this season. She made a similar jump between her freshman and sophomore years, when she went from JV No. 2 doubles to JV No. 1 singles.
The transition to varsity seems seamless for Maginot, who owns a 15-3 record.
“I would never have thought we could be in this situation where we beat a team like Lake Central,” Elston said. “The whole season I was worried about experience and how they would handle situations. I’ve never seen a team without experience that can go into a match and not seem to feel any pressure.”
After needing three sets to edge Lake Central’s Lauren Gronek at No. 3 singles in the regular season, Savannah Schuljak made quick work of the opposition this time. Schuljak’s 6-2, 6-2 win was the first match finished.
“I was coming out thinking it was going to be a really long match,” Schuljak said. “My serves were spot on, so that helped a lot. I think she was a little nervous. I felt good and confident going into the match, so I wasn’t as nervous.”
Lake Central’s Kristi Tinsley (16-0) remained unbeaten at No. 1 singles with a 6-1, 6-1 win over Ana Maksimovich. The sectional opener was Step 1 for Tinsley on her quest to reach the state finals.
“The key was to be consistent and play the wind right,” Tinsley said. “I had to keep my feet moving because it’s easy to get lazy when there’s a lot of wind.”
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Crown Point’s No. 1 doubles team of Helen Keilman and Caroline Sarbieski defeated Jeannine Toth and Anna Wachowski 6-3, 6-4. The Bulldogs also won at No. 2 doubles as Holly Riley and Emily Campbell defeated Amber Stedt and Sky Martens 6-1, 6-2.
The Bulldogs advance to play Rensselaer in Thursday’s sectional semifinal.
The Indians finished the season with two losses, both against Crown Point.
Brandon Vickrey is a freelance writer for the Post-Tribune.