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A runner-up finish at No. 1 doubles gave the Port Washington High School boys’ tennis team a boost in the South Milwaukee Invitational last Saturday.
Seniors Evan Lopez and Luke Richard combined for a 2-1 match record in the eight-team tournament. 
After winning their first match, 6-2, 6-1, against a Greenfield duo, Lopez and Richard outlasted a Whitnall team, winning a 7-5 tiebreaker.
The Port team then lost the title match, 6-3, 6-0, to a Muskego duo.
“They showed why they make such a great team,” Port coach Jenny Huettl said of Lopez and Richard.
The Pirates scored 16 points in the tournament.
In singles competition, Port got a third-place finish from Matt Kirmse at No. 4 and fourths from Jeff Ross at No. 2 and B.J. LaForest at No. 3.
Kirmse, a freshman, defeated a Greenfield player in the first round, then lost to a Muskego foe before defeating an Oak Creek opponent in straight sets.
Ross rebounded from a first-round loss to a South Milwaukee player to defeat a Cudahy foe, 6-2, 6-0. He lost the consolation final, 6-0, 6-1, to a Greenfield player.
LaForest defeated players from St. Francis and South Milwaukee, sandwiched around a 7-6, 6-1 loss to a Muskego foe.
At No. 1 singles, Port’s Zach Hust finished 0-2.
Port’s No. 3 duo of Callum Toal and Joe Babcock placed fifth with a 2-1 record. After losing their first match, they scored a 6-1, 6-1 win and a 2-6, 7-5, 10-8 victory in the consolation final.
At No. 2 doubles, the Pirates’ Colin Kinzer and Jordan Smith were 0-2.
Homestead 7, Port Washington 0
The Highlanders showed their strength by scoring straight-set wins in every match of a North Shore Conference makeup meet May 2.
Managing to win a game apiece for Port were Kirmse at No. 4 singles and the duos of Colin Kinzer and Jordan Smith (No. 1), Mitchell Schmidt and Jordan Lazore (No. 2) and Lopez and Richard (No. 3).
Despite the loss to the state’s top-ranked Division 1 team, Huettl said she was proud of her players.
“Almost all the games consistently went to deuce,” she said. “Although Homestead prevailed in the end, by no means did Port go down without a fight.”
This week, the Pirates continued NSC play against Germantown on Monday and Cedarburg on Tuesday and will travel to Grafton for a 3:30 p.m. meet Thursday.
Port will then participate in a tournament at Kohler on Friday and Saturday and play a 4 p.m. dual meet at Howards Grove on May 14.
Image Information: PORT WASHINGTON SENIOR Zach Hust returned a forehand shot during the No. 1 singles match in a North Shore Conference meet against Homestead. Photo by Sam Arendt
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