By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
The 2022 high school tennis season didn't get off to the start Ian and Miles Cusick envisioned and the Topeka West junior doubles stars will take responsibility for that.
"I think it was almost possibly over-confidence,'' Miles Cusick said about the slow start. "We were going into it and we were like, 'OK, let's just play, we don't really have to do a ton,' and we learned the hard way that we can't do that.''
But after taking some early losses, the Cusick twins have recaptured the form that made them one of the state's top doubles teams a year ago, including an impressive performance in Tuesday's Topeka West Invitational at Kossover Tennis Center.
Topeka West's Ian Cusick makes a return in Tuesday's doubles final in the Topeka West Invitational as twin brother Miles looks on. The Cusicks won the doubles title. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]
Topeka West tennis coach Kurt Davids talks to Charger doubles players Miles Cusick (middle) and Ian Cusick during Tuesday's doubles final in the Topeka West Invitational. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]
"I feel like our energy has improved a lot and just our teamwork,'' Miles said. "Those are the biggest things that have improved.''
The Cusicks went undefeated on the day Tuesday to win the doubles championship, capped by an 8-7 (7-4 tiebreaker) victory over Salina Central's Phelps and Phelps to avenge an earlier 9-3 loss to the Mustang duo.
"Losing to them early in the season, that was almost a revenge kind of thing or us,'' Ian Cusick said. "We really wanted to come back and beat them and we got a break and we caught fire.''
"I was really, really happy with the way we played,'' Miles agreed. "They're a really good opponent, so to win that match means a lot, especially for seeding for state and stuff like that. It's really impactful.''
And although it took awhile, Ian Cusick said he feels like he and his brother are where they need to be heading into the biggest meets of the year.
The city championships are next week, followed by Centennial League, Class 5A regional and state tournaments.
"At the beginning of the year our shots weren't as good and we weren't really together, but especially this match was a really good match for us going forward,'' Ian said. "The teamwork was great, the energy was great, everything was great.''
Washburn Rural senior Mason Thieu (see related story on TopSports.news) claimed the singles championship with an 8-3 win over Kansas City Christian's Caleb Bartels in the championship match, leading the Junior Blues to the team title by an 86-76 margin over Topeka West and Kansas City Christian.
In addition to Thieu's title, Rural got a third-place singles finish from Mason Casebeer while Nick Luetje and Kyler Knudtson finished third in doubles.
James Maag posted a fourth-place singles finish for Topeka West while Carter Cool and Gavin Chavez finished sixth in doubles.
Shawnee Heights finished fourth as a team with 52 points, led by Jaden Rodriguez's fifth-place singles finish while Hayden finished sixth as a team, with Michael Sandstrom and Gus Glotzbach taking fifth in doubles.
TOPEKA WEST INVITATIONAL
Team scores
Washburn Rural 86, Topeka West 76, Kansas City Christian 76, Shawnee Heights 52, Lawrence 39, Hayden 38, Salina Central 37, Salina South 31, Blue Valley West 30.
Individual results
Singles
Championship -- Thieu, Washburn Rural, def. Bartels, Kansas City Christian, 8-3.
Third place -- Casebeer, Washburn Rural, def. Maag, Topeka West, 8-5.
Fifth place -- Rodriguez, Shawnee Heights, def. Gariss, Kansas City Christian, 8-2.
Doubles
Championship -- I. Cusick/M. Cusick, Topeka West, def. Phelps/Phelp, Salina Central, 8-7 (7-4).
Third place -- Luetje/Knudtson, Washburn Rural, def. VanderArk/Newman, Kansas City Christian, 8-3.
Fifth place -- Sandstrom/Glotzbach, Hayden, def. Chavez/Cool, Topeka West, 8-5.
