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MISSOULA- It's state championship time once again in Montana and a few titles were handed out in Missoula on Thursday as the The Class B/C tennis tournament wrapped up with several Western Montana athletes hoping to become queen and king of the courts.

Boys singles action saw Ronan versus Bigfork with the Chiefs' Hunter Shima taking on the Vikings' Colter Mahlum. Mahlum took the first set in a tiebreaker and then the senior won the second by a score of 6-1 to become a state champion.

"At first I was pretty nervous. Then it started kind of, I was getting in a groove and it just felt a lot better. Plus, all the experience I've had it kind of helped in the long run. Strategy was just stay consistent, keep the ball in play, and hit it to his backhand. He's a lefty, and that's a bit different. And that's what kind of threw me off. But it's the best feeling in the world. It couldn't be better," Mahlum commented.

Girls singles action saw Superior's Cary Chamberlain hoping to win another title for the West as she battled Chinook's Katie Diemert. Chamberlain came to the net and hit a soft shot for the point helping her to win the first set 6-2. Chamberlain did the same type of thing in the second, but Diemert battled back to win. However, it was Chamberlain winning the deciding third 6-2 to take the title.

"It's probably the hardest match I've played all year. She's really consistent and I'm consistent. So it was a dogfight. It is so special because I've got so close two years in a row, and just never been able to quite do it. And then finally it's nice. Caps off your Senior year to finally win," Chamberlain said.

Boys doubles action saw Valley Christian's pair of Dylan Dybdal and Adam Richards taking on Conrad's Luke Schlosser and Cameron Janzen. The Conrad pair easily took the title 6-2, 6-2.

In the final team scores, Conrad's boys also finished well ahead of Valley Christian and Bigfork. The Conrad girls also brought home a title in a very tight race. Superior's ladies finished the best of the Western schools, ending up in fifth place.

Contact Derek Buerkle