Northern B-C tennis starts Friday

The Chinook girls tennis team has been on a mission this season. And that mission is to stay on top of the Class B-C girls ranks.

So far, the Sugarbeeters have done just that, as they have been nearly unbeatable in duals all season long. However, before the Beeters can focus on winning a third straight Class B-C state championship, they will focus on winning yet another Northern B-C Divisional title.

Chinook, under the direction of head coach Thom MacLean, can accomplish that feat this weekend when the Northern B-C girls tourney is played out at the Bill Vaughey Memorial Tennis Courts in Havre. The tournament, of which Chinook has won too many in a row to count, starts Friday morning and runs through Saturday afternoon.

And while Chinook will contend with Chester-Joplin-Inverness and Harlem, as Big Sandy doesn’t have any tennis players this season, the goal for the Beeters will be to push as many players though to the state tourney as possible.

And at the top of the lineup, Chinook is unmatched. Senior Brooke Nicholson is one of the top players in Class B-C and a returning state placer, while the doubles team of Lauren Harshman and Cortney Gunderson finished second at state a year ago.

But, the biggest reason Chinook should dominate this weekend’s divisional tournament is its depth. With the likes of Hattie Niederegger and Sierra Swank in doubles, as well as veteran players like Nichole McCracken, the Beeters shouldn’t have any issues when it comes to the divisional tournament.

Of course, winning divisionals is only part of the goal for Chinook however. They want to push as many players as they can through, so that they can score as many points as possible at the state tournament, which is next Thursday through Saturday in Missoula. Chinook is gunning for its third straight state championship and its fourth title in the last six years.

The Beeters’ postseason quest begins Friday and Saturday with the Northern B-C in Havre.

The top six singles players and top four doubles teams will move on to next week’s Class B-C state tournament in Missoula.