MISSOULA — Missoula Loyola's boys continued their dominance Saturday, winning their fourth consecutive Class B/C tennis title.
Thanks in part to championships in both singles and doubles, the Rams scored 47 points to outlast second-place Valley Christian, which had 40 points, in what was largely a two-horse race. Cut Bank and Conrad tied for third with 12 points each.
The girls team title went to Chinook, which scored 32 team points to edge Loyola, who had 29. Fairfield had 23 points to take third.
Dillon Taylor led the charge for the Rams by winning the boys singles crown again. Taylor got past Valley Christian eighth grader Olander Bork in the final, 6-3, 6-1. Taylor, though, escaped Dallas Berkram in the semis.
The Rams' duo of Joe Kirschenmann and Carter Topp also did its part by claiming the boys doubles crown. Kirschenmann and Topp won a marathon over Valley Christian's Preston Reimer and Ross Cruikshank, 7-6(3), 6-7(5), 6-3.
In girls singles, Loyola's Ava Bellamah defeated Rilee Molyneaux of Chinook to win the title. It was Bellamah's third state championship after winning doubles titles the previous two years.
Maya Wilson and Kamree Pearson of Fairfield claimed the girls doubles title. Despite not having an individual champion. Chinook still managed to win in the team standings thanks to Molyneaux and Mya Berreth's 2-3 finish in girls singles.
