WATERVILLE – As winners go, it wasn’t the best looking shot on record.

Ahead 6-4 in a second-set tiebreak, Lewiston freshman Mike Sarrazin teed up a shot just over waist-high on his forehand and hammered the ball – off his frame.

Still, the shot had enough spin on it to pose a problem to the Bangor team on the other side of the net, and when one of the players tried to play it over his head he fanned, giving Lewiston the win in the tiebreak, and in the match.

Paced by that win, along with wins at No. 2 and No. 3 singles, Lewiston edged Bangor 3-2 on Wednesday to remain undefeated and move into the state finals on Saturday.

“We play a lot of tiebreakers in practice,” Chicoine said about the pressure situation facing his No. 1 doubles tandem. “I think we do more of those than anyone, and it really helped to prepare them for a situation like this today.”

“I know I’m just a sophomore,” Sarrazin’s partner James Morin said. “Still, I was in this position last year as a freshman at states, and I was able to use that experience today to help put this away.”

Morin and Sarrazin took the first set 6-4, and watched out of the corners of their eyes as Adam Wilding won at No. 2 singles (6-0, 6-0) and Nick Bonenfant won at No. 3 singles (6-0, 6-3).

“We knew that they had won and we knew it was going to come down to us,” Morin said. “That’s O.K, though. I’d rather be in that situation.”

Down 6-5 in the second set and down in the service game 15-0, Morin and Sarrazin won four straight points to force the tiebreak.

“That’s where his experience kicked in,” Chicoine said. “He and Mike played very well in the tiebreak, just like we had practiced.”

Mike Burke of Lewiston lost a tough match to Bryan Brown of Bangor at No. 1 singles, 6-2, 6-0, while Bangor’s No. 2 doubles team of Shawn Dennis and Jue Wang upended Lewiston’s No. 2 tandem of Ben Bergeron and Luke Bonenfant 6-1, 6-0.

“I thought Mike would have a chance to compete at No. 1,” Chicoine said. “After that, this played out about how we expected that it would.”

Lewiston will face TEAM in the state final on Saturday at Lewiston High School.

Deja vu

When Lewiston’s girls’ No. 1 doubles team of Roxanne Healy and Katie Nadeau took the first set from Mt. Ararat’s Miranda and Christie Rogers, there was muffled excitement in the Lewiston camp. It was the first set anyone had taken from the Rogers’ all season.

It would also be the last.

The girls rallied from a set down to upend Healy and Nadeau 3-6, 6-2, 6-3 to clinch a 3-2 team victory for the Eagles, their second of the season over the Blue Devils.

“I was concerned after we lost the first set,” Mt. Ararat coach Sheila Bohlin said. “They were a little tentative after having to wait for an hour to start, and I think it showed, but they settled down.”

Mt. Ararat got its crucial wins at No. 1 singles and No. 2 singles when Marcia Gilbride defeated Alli Bleakney 6-1, 6-2, and when Jenn Charette upended Beth Melanson 6-4, 6-2.

“Those two don’t get rattled,” Bohlin said. “They played very well today.”

For Lewiston, Amanda Bergeron won at No. 3 singles in straight sets, 6-3, 6-0, and the No. 2 doubles team of Katelyn Ouellette and Ashley McWhorter slugged out a 6-4, 6-1 win over Chelsea Annese and Ellen London.

“They were the stronger team today,” Lewiston coach Anita Murphy said. “I still think we could have beaten them. Now, though, you turn around and cheer for them on Saturday. Now that we’re in the East, we want the championship to stay here in the East.”

One small consolation to Murphy was the fact that Chicoine, her son, will be coaching in a state title game on Saturday.

“I’ll be there to support him and the boys,” Murphy said. “It eases the pain a bit, but it’s still hard to take.”

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