Millikan Pulls Switch, Beats Defending Champion Loara

ORANGE — At Thursday’s Southern Section Division II badminton final, Loara Coach Diane Sweeny went with the same lineup that got her a victory over Long Beach Millikan in the first match of the season. Unfortunately for Loara, Millikan’s lineup was a little bit different and that helped the Rams to an 11-8 upset over the defending champions.

Second-seeded Loara (18-2) handed fourth-seeded Millikan (18-1) its only loss of the season in the earlier match, 13-6. Sweeny decided to go with what worked previouslyThursday at the Orange County Badminton Club. Sweeny’s original lineup included splitting up the boys’ doubles team of Tuan Nguyen and Steve Lee, the section individual champions, and playing them in singles. With this move, Sweeny hoped to again pick up at least two matches in doubles and three in singles.

But Sweeny didn’t know that in the earlier contest Ram Coach Gloria Potocki had used a junior varsity team in boys’ doubles.

Thursday night Potocki had both her varsity doubles teams in place and got a sweep and four points in the process.

“Maybe,” Sweeny answered, when asked after the loss if she would do it differently. “But with this lineup tonight, last time we won, 13-6. We had such a good score and we took two doubles last time.”

Millikan aone won three of four boys’ singles matches, with the Lee’s match against Dung Phan proving to be the turning point. Lee won the first game, 15-11, with Phan rallying to take the second, 15-9. In the final game, with a 17-16 lead, Lee served for match point, but was called for serving from the wrong side, giving Phan the serve. He won the next two points to take the match, 18-17, giving Millikan a 6-3 lead.

“He served from the wrong side,” Sweeny said. “He should know better, he’s been playing for four years. But the ref also is supposed to stop and correct him. He would have won the match if she had done that.”

The umpire’s call was not the only controversy.

“I had concerns with the lines people tonight not paying attention and watching the lines,” Sweeny said. “There was one point we lost, because the umpire admitted he wasn’t paying attention and missed the play. I think my kids’ sportsmanship and integrity won out tonight. I am more proud of them for that than anything else.”