UKIAH >> The Middletown High School team of Johnny Nance and Christian Nikolov fell 6-3, 6-4 to the Rincon Valley Christian duo of Paul Bartholow and Andrew Cantrell on Saturday in the boys’ doubles finals at the Coastal Mountain Conference Tennis Championships in Ukiah.
Nance and Nikolov beat Moji Brittingham and Cole Duncan of Mendocino 6-2, 7-5 to reach the finals.
Middletown’s second doubles team of Trevor Smith and Robert Amante made it as far as the semifinals before losing to eventual champions Bartholow and Cantrell in a three-set battle, 6-1, 2-6, 6-1.
In boys’ singles action, Middletown freshman Solomon Malicay made it as far as the semifinals before dropping a 6-3, 7-6 (7-5) decision to Nathan Hobson of Rincon Valley Christian. Hobson lost in the finals to Ryan Leung of Technology 6-1, 6-0.
Malicay is applying for an at-large berth into the upcoming sectional tourney on Friday and Saturday in Santa Rosa.
On the girls’ side of the bracket, Natalie Stanton of St. Helena beat Grace Hosbein of St. Vincent 6-0, 6-1 to win the singles championship. The doubles title went to Veronica Acevedo and Elizabeth Pena of Calistoga, 6-3, 4-6, 6-4 winners over Catherine Li and Nell Sheridan of Sonoma Academy.
