Screven County bounced in semifinals

STONE MOUNTAIN, Ga. - For Screven County, this was the year to finally win that elusive state championship in girls' tennis.

Finally out of Class AAA and away from perennial power Westminster, the Gamecocks were set to win a title after 10 consecutive final four appearances and 15 in the past 16 years.

Darlington forced Screven County to wait at least one more year, though, with a 3-1 victory Saturday in the Class AA semifinals at the Stone Mountain Tennis Center.

"We've been coming here so long," coach Diane Freeman said. "We do this every year and we just don't seem to be able to figure out what it takes for our little school from our little county to compete at this level."

Screven County came into the final four undefeated and essentially unchallenged at 26-0.

The Gamecocks lost just six individual matches all year and were undefeated in doubles play, including a school-record 23-0 mark by partners Christie Kemp and Whitney Waters.

Darlington overpowered Screven County, though. Kemp and Waters won their match 6-3, 6-0, and Katie McCabe was tied with Darlington's Emily Morrow at a set apiece when Darlington won its third match in the best three-of-five format to officially advance to the final.

Screven's success throughout the regular season and early rounds of the playoffs might have worked against them Saturday, coach Diane Freeman said.

"Mentally, we had not been pushed in close matches all year," Freeman said. "We tried to schedule so we'd be ready for this kind of competition and we tried to create pressure situations in practice. But you just can't do it."

Saturday's experience should help in the future. The Gamecocks are young, with three juniors, a sophomore and a freshman among their seven regular players.

And while Saturday's post-match team meeting was emotional, the coach quickly put it into perspective.

"These girls aren't tennis players, they're student-athletes," Freeman said. "They're very bright and they're not all about tennis."