When their Tournament of Champions semifinal match was suspended due to rain on Wednesday, the East Brunswick boys tennis team appeared poised to earn their spot in the NJSIAA final.
The Bears were leading 1-0 over Tenafly, with a 6-0, 6-4 victory from second singles player Illya Kazakin-Kuteyev in the books, and were moments from going up 2-0 with Vivek Subramanian holding a commanding 6-3, 5-2 edge at first singles.
Needing only one more win to earn a spot in the final against Newark Academy, the Bears looked to third singles, where Ross Cohn was leading Tenafly’s Allan Yosha, 6-4, 2-0, and to the two double matches, which were tied at a set apiece.
So while it seemed safe to assume that the Bears would be moving on to the final, East Brunswick returned to Mercer County Park yesterday anxious to finish the job.
With a win, the Bears would earn a shot at the title immediately thereafter, and a match-up with Newark Academy, who scored three victories over Moorestown before the rain came on Wednesday. The Essex County school is the top-ranked team in the state and has won nine of the last 11 state titles.