Panthers and Spartans Serve Up a Thriller on a Sun-Soaked Thursday in Bonney Lake
- The Insider
- Apr 18
- 3 min read
On a postcard-perfect Thursday afternoon, the Bonney Lake Panthers girls tennis team stepped onto the courts with purpose, confidence—and a fierce hunger for a win. With the sun beaming down and Mt. Rainier quietly peeking out from behind the treeline, Bonney Lake hosted league rivals Sumner in a match that delivered drama, heart, and high-level tennis from start to finish.
The final score may have tilted 3-2 in favor of the Spartans, but every swing, sprint, and sideline roar told a deeper story—this match was a war of wills.
At the top of the lineup, senior Olivia Laron, Bonney Lake’s fearless #1 singles player, took center court and held it for nearly three hours. What unfolded between her and Sumner standout Makena Cho was a match worthy of a championship stage. Laron, calm and commanding, took the first set 6-2, but Cho dug deep in the second, forcing the match to a decisive third set. Laron’s response? Clutch serves, baseline dominance, and the kind of resilience you can’t coach. She closed it out 6-2, 4-6, 6-4, notching a gutsy win that electrified the home crowd.
While Laron’s victory earned the Panthers their first point of the afternoon, it was far from the only showstopper.
Freshman Lily Jacobs, stepping into the #2 singles spotlight, showed poise beyond her years but ran into a brick wall of consistency from Sumner’s #2. Despite clean groundstrokes and plenty of hustle, Jacobs fell 3-6, 3-6. Still, her effort underscored the promising future of Bonney Lake tennis.
Over on the doubles courts, the battles only intensified.
In the marquee doubles match of the day, senior Alice Guo and German foreign exchange student Lina Wichmann—Bonney Lake’s top pairing—faced a relentless Sumner duo in Chloe Duskin and Zehya Battley. After dropping the first set 4-6, Guo and Wichmann rallied, digging in to win the second 6-4. The third set was a tense, emotional rollercoaster that saw both teams go shot-for-shot. Ultimately, the Spartans edged it 6-4, 4-6, 6-3, but the Panthers' spirit never wavered.
Meanwhile, the #2 doubles duo of sophomore Kyla Twohy and Spanish exchange student Kyra Fuertes Gonzalez delivered one of the more quietly riveting matches of the day. Outplayed early, the pair regrouped, recalibrated, and began grinding. Down a set, they surged to a second-set tiebreaker, only to fall just short—losing 3-6, 6-7 (3-7). Still, their second-set fire had the sidelines buzzing.
But if there was a heartbeat moment in this match—one that turned heads and turned tides—it belonged to sophomores Tessa Rice and Enee Choo on Court 3. Down a set and with the Panthers trailing overall, the duo knew their match would decide whether the top courts would play full third sets or 10-point tiebreakers.
They didn’t just rise to the moment. They redefined it.
After losing the first set 3-6, Rice and Choo locked in. With Rice hammering from the baseline and Choo working her magic at the net, the second set turned into a seesaw thriller, culminating in a breathtaking 14-12 tiebreaker win. That clutch performance triggered full third sets for Laron and Guo/Wichmann—reigniting the Panthers’ shot at an overall victory.
Rice and Choo weren’t done yet. With every teammate and fan on the edge of their seat, the pair pulled off a 6-4 third-set win, sealing one of the more emotionally charged victories of the day.
As the teams shook hands under the golden late-afternoon sun, there was no sense of loss. Just pride. Applause. And respect.
With rainouts threatening to derail the rhythm of the season, Thursday’s match was a welcome return to form—and a reminder of just how fun spring tennis can be.
The Panthers return to action at home on Monday, April 21 at 3:30 p.m. Bring your shades, bring your cheers, and bring your love for the game. Bonney Lake tennis is heating up—and it’s a match you don’t want to miss.
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