LEWISTON – After falling in the Eastern Maine final each of the last two seasons, the Camden Hills of Rockport girls tennis team had to be content with advancing one additional step this spring.

Falmouth claimed the Class B state championship for the third time in four years Saturday, topping the Windjammers 4-1 at the Wallach Tennis Complex on the Bates College campus.

Western Maine swept the Class C championships, with Waynflete of Portland pulling away from George Stevens Academy of Blue Hill 4-1 in the boys final and the North Yarmouth Academy girls defeating Madawaska 5-0.

Lewiston won both Class A crowns, the Blue Devil boys winning for the sixth straight season with a 5-0 win over Cheverus of Portland, and the girls earning their third state title by besting Kennebunk 5-0.

Camden Hills got a strong performance by Lizzie Mitchell and Amanda Kava at first doubles, as they defeated Andie Daigle and Melissa Keroack 6-2 in the first set before the Yachtsmen rallied to win the final two sets 7-5, 6-1.

But by that time Falmouth had used straight-set victories at second and third singles and second doubles to clinch the title over the Eastern Maine champions.

“It’s a privilege to play against a team like Falmouth,” said Camden Hills coach Karen Brace. “They’re so competitive and such great players. We knew we’d have our hands full today. I never wanted to be anything less than positive about our chances, but we definitely knew we were in for the challenge of our season, and that’s what we got.”

Windjammers top seed Erika Blauth averted the shutout with a 6-3, 6-3 victory over Hallsey Leighton in a battle of two of the top eight seeded players in this year’s state singles tournament.

“I wanted it really bad,” said Blauth of her match against Leighton, whom she had never defeated in several previous matches on the youth tennis circuit. “I wanted to get at least one win for our team, and it was the last match of my high school career so I wanted to make it good.”

In Class C, George Stevens stayed with Waynflete for much of the boys final, with third seed Henry Owen’s 6-2, 6-2 win over Eric Ordway squaring the match at 1-1.

“I was going for consistency today,” said Owen. “I knew he would have better shot-making skills than me but I probably could run around and get balls back better than him, so I just tried to get everything back and let him make mistakes.”

After Owen won, two tight doubles matches continued, but Waynflete persevered in both to clinch the match as Sam Cleaves and Nate Niles topped Elias Springer and Dillon Morris 7-5, 6-3 and Halsey Niles and Michael Odakara-Okigdo outlasted Dylan Stewart and Michael Senter-Zapata 6-4, 1-6, 6-4.

“I was definitely concerned,” said Waynflete coach Jeff Madore. “I thought early on that this might come down to making sure we won one of the doubles, so I camped out over there for the whole match.”

The NYA girls won their second straight Class C crown, scoring five straight-set victories over a Madawaska team coming off winning its first regional crown.

Third seed Eliza Gercke fought off an early challenge from Madawaska senior Megan Hebert before pulling away to a 6-4, 6-1 win at third singles, while Owls sophomore Audrey Bergeron played a strong second set against NYA’s Anna Jaeger before falling 6-1, 7-5 at second singles.

NYA limited Madawaska to just five total games won in the other three matches.

“We know they play a lot of tennis and we give them all the credit,” said Madawaska top seed Nicole Daigle, one of three seniors on the Owls’ seven-player roster. “But we were confident, and we played as well as we could.”

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