REGION 23 CHAMPS: Gulf Coast beats Jones for title

The expected clash of titans in the NJCAA Region 23 Men's Tennis Tournament championship match Saturday was just that, and No. 13 Mississippi Gulf Coast left Ellisville with the plaque.

Jan Bako was two points away from losing an epic No. 2 singles match, but got a critical break and then won the final two games for a 5-4 win over No. 12 Jones. The total match lasted nearly five-and-a-half hours and resulted in the third region title in five years.

"It's all about the team, and everything from the beginning of the year was always team first," said Bulldogs coach Sam Blackburn, who was named Region 23 Coach of the Year. "The guys played as a team, whether they were winning or losing, whether something was going well or not, they played together. To see them get the team win like that means the world for me because they deserve it. They earned it and fought the whole year for it." 

Bako, a freshman from Ostrava, Czech Republic, had won a three-setter against the same opponent when the teams played in March. Jones won that match 6-3, and the Bulldogs had to have Bako's point for the championship. He was down 4-5 and love-30 in the third set.

"What impressed me so much was that Jan wanted to be in that situation," Blackburn said. "He was embracing the moment, and he wanted to be the guy that it came down to. He never showed one sign of weakness or fear. He's down love-30 still playing his style of tennis, swinging away, and ended up just rolling in those next three games. The way he ripped that forward to win match point shows you he really wanted it, and it was not gonna be taken from him."

Bako won the next four points in that pivotal game, then closed out the match 6-7 (5), 7-5, 7-5. Battling cramps throughout his body, he remembered what his coach back home had told him.

"He told me if both of the players are tired, just hit it in and don't be scared of losing," Bako said. "Be proud of your play and be confident in your game. Just put everything into it and keep fighting, and eventually you'll win it. The biggest winners always have the belief in themselves, and they're confident in their game."

The Bulldogs were up 2-1 after doubles that saw Bako and Warren Hudson (Fr., Ocean Springs/Ocean Springs) win 8-5 at No. 2, and Santiago Enriquez (Fr., Encarnacion, Paraguay/CEUCE) and Taylor Cook (Fr., Olive Branch/Lewisburg) claim an 8-4 win at No. 3.

Hudson and Enriquez won their respective Nos. 6 and 3 singles matches by identical 6-3, 6-3 scores, and Gulf Coast was up 4-1.

Jones won the next three matches, all of which went three sets, to knot things up and set the stage for the dramatic finale.

"It was pretty cool in our post-match meeting after everything settled down, a couple of the guys were saying we're not done yet, we've got more work to do," Blackburn said. "We're coming for another trophy. That shows how much they believe in their ability to go and compete for a national championship."

The Bulldogs had already clinched a spot in the new NJCAA Division II Men's Tennis Championship. It starts May 11 in Plano, Texas. 

Results

Team: Gulf Coast 5, Jones 4

Doubles

No. 1: Thomas Garrett-Juan Pereyra (JC) def. Angel Hernandez-Ryland Buford, 8-1

No. 2: Jan Bako-Warren Hudson (GC) def. Felipe Morales-Reese Touchet, 8-5

No. 3: Santiago Enriquez-Taylor Cook (GC) def. Ridge Jones-Ryan Roth, 8-4

Singles (order of finish)

No. 6: Hudson (GC) def. Roth, 6-3, 6-3

No. 3: Enriquez (GC) def. Morales, 6-3, 6-3

No. 1: Pereyra (JC) def. Hernandez, 6-4, 2-6, 6-4

No. 4: Jones (JC) def. Buford, 3-6, 6-3, 6-2

No. 5: Westmoreland (JC) def. Nick Dulaney, 0-6, 6-4, 7-6 (5)

No. 2: Bako (GC) def. Garrett, 6-7 (5), 7-5, 7-5

NJCAA Region 23 Men's Tennis Tournament

April 16-18

Ellisville

Quarterfinals

Thursday, April 16

No. 1 Jones 5, No. 8 East Central 0

No. 4 Northwest Mississippi 5, No. 5 Southwest Mississippi 2

No. 2 Gulf Coast 5, No. 7 Itawamba 0

No. 3 Copiah-Lincoln 5, No. 6 Meridian 0

Semifinals

Friday, April 17

Jones 5, Northwest 1

Gulf Coast 5, Copiah-Lincoln 0

Championship

Saturday, April 18

Championship: Gulf Coast 5, Jones 4

Third-place: Northwest vs. Copiah-Lincoln, 2 p.m.

For more information on MGCCC's 12 intercollegiate athletic teams, follow @MGCCCBulldogs on Twitter and MGCCCBulldogs on Facebook, and go to mgcccbulldogs.com.