A perfect storm may be brewing for the Oak Hill girls’ tennis team.

While the overwhelming favorite in Western Class B – that would be Falmouth – breezed through its final contest against Cape Elizabeth on Tuesday, the Oak Hill girls were sitting patiently and watching, having put the finishing touches on a solid 10-2 campaign.

The latest Heal Points have the Raiders in second place, and despite a Lisbon victory Tuesday (the ‘Hounds defeated winless Monmouth), Oak Hill appears likely to hang on to that No. 2 spot. What’s more, the Capers’ loss may have prevented them from creeping past Lisbon into third.

Oak Hill coach Jamie Boucher doesn’t want to get into that just yet, with a few matches left to go on the official schedule. No yet, anyway.

What he will get into is how the Raiders have climbed the ladder in Western B in recent years, putting back-to-back winning seasons together and earning 19 victories in 24 matches in that span.

“I think the two years in a row like this are the two better years we’ve had,” Boucher said. “We’ve been lucky in the last two years.”

Part of the Raiders’ climb through the standings can be attributed to a newfound depth. The team isn’t all seniors, or all freshmen and sophomores.

“I have two singles players who are sophomores, and I have three seniors,” Boucher said. “Other than that, it’s a relatively young team, and all of my younger players want to go to that next level. It used to be at Oak Hill that tennis would stop after practice was over, but now kids want to play now outside of practice. There’s more desire to improve.”

There are a pair of seniors Boucher cites as being strong pieces of the team, though: Samantha Wark and Hannah Rancourt.

Wark started the season as No. 2 behind sophomore Hannah Langlois. In recent challenges, Wark has overtaken Langlois for the top spot.

Rancourt, meanwhile, has played with a few partners in doubles, and has adjusted well to the circumstances.

Come this weekend, when everyone knows the final Heal Points and playoff pairings, it’s possible that Boucher and his players will have a good shot at making it to the Western B final, given that Lisbon would be the southern-most school the Raiders would face.

In the standings were final Tuesday, Oak Hill would draw Maranacook in the Western quarters, and the winner of Lisbon and Lincoln Academy in the Western semis, avoiding juggernauts Cape Elizabeth and Falmouth (who would have to face each other in the Western semifinals).

“We’re not worrying about that right now, though,” Boucher said.

Not yet, anyway.

Old friends

Part of the success the Lewiston High School tennis program has seen, no doubt, is due to the summer youth program the Lewiston Recreation Department has in place, during which more than 200 young tennis players participate in drills and competitions.

Many of the instructors in the program are the high school players themselves, helping to breed the next generation of tennis athletes. Sometimes, though, the instructors are even just a bit older than that, and sometimes, those instructors come back into the fold a bit earlier than summertime.

“Some of my girls from last year’s team are starting to show up,” Lewiston girls’ coach Anita Murphy said. “It’s been really helpful.”

Murphy said that the time between meaningful matches can be taxing, and having players from previous years help out not only helps the team prepare for upcoming playoff matches, but displays the loyalty many of these players have shown to the program over the years.

“They’ve been there, they know what to expect and they can help the girls out,” Murphy said. “It’s a big help.”

Big boost

Monmouth surprised a lot of folks last season in the boys’ team tennis draw, reaching the Western Class C final with a pair of upset wins.

The Mustangs took a big step toward duplicating that feat this week, all but officially securing the No. 2 seed in Western C with a 3-2 victory over Class B Lisbon. Monmouth was in a dogfight with Winthrop for the No. 2 spot, and though the Ramblers also won Tuesday, their win came against a lower-ranked Class C Dirigo squad, meaning Monmouth’s victory is worth more in the Heal Points system.

In the Monmouth match, Morgan Bergeron clinched the match for the Mustangs with a 10-6 win over Tyler Gawrys. Both of Monmouth’s doubles teams also earned a win.