Brothers, cousin face off in Missouri state high school boys' tennis doubles final
In May, the top high school boys’ tennis players arrived at Cooper Tennis Complex in Springfield, Mo., with the same goal in mind: to win the Missouri State High School Activities Association (MSHSAA) championships.
In the MSHSAA Class 3 doubles event, a rather unique outcome became one of the highlights of the state championships when a team of brothers met their cousin and his doubles partner in the finals. Brothers Adam and David Bell battled their way to the final to play Topher Thornberry and cousin Andy Greaves on May 17.
What’s more, both teams represented Kansas City’s Pembroke Hill School, a feat of its own that’s a rarity in the MSHSAA championships. Pembroke Hill Head Coach Scott Hanover had nothing but high praise for his doubles players while still being in awe of the pairing at the end of the tournament. To make matters sweeter, all four players were key cogs in the Raiders capturing the MSHSAA Class 3 team championship in dominant fashion.
“It was certainly a thrill to have both our doubles pairs make the finals of the state championship,” Hanover said. “Two teams from the same school in a championship is a rare feat. They’ve worked hard all season. The added dynamic of forever friends, two siblings, and on court with their cousin made it even more unique.
“Winning the state team title for a third straight year is both a thrill and very humbling as a coach. I am so proud to work with this group of student-athletes. All of the players put in hard work throughout the season, and they were justly rewarded in the final.”
While the team of Thornberry and Greaves were ultimately the victors, there was still the family bond that kept the Bell brothers in high spirits regardless of the outcome. Adam Bell recalled how he has always been close with Greaves—he even lives right down the street from him. And they have shared the same court since they were young teens.
“I had my first lesson ever with my cousin, and that was 13 years ago,” Adam Bell said.
Adam Bell also mentioned he played with Greaves in the Kansas City Invitational last year, a tournament they ended up winning. Bell recently graduated from Pembroke Hill and looks back fondly on his final season playing with his brother. He has only praise for what they were able to accomplish.
However, one would think the prospect of competing against a cousin who’s also been a longtime doubles partner would be a bit unnerving. But Bell said he didn’t feel nerves by the time he reached the final.
“For me, I’ve been playing against them my whole life so I never really let that affect how I play,” Bell said. “So, in the moment, I was locked into playing tennis and having fun.
“It’s a bit tough; the final match was really close, but I wasn’t even thinking about (playing my cousin) at the time. It was really special. You sometimes get nervous going into matches, but I wasn’t nervous.”
Leading up to the championship match the Bells faced stiff competition, especially in the semifinals against The Barstow School’s Saam Biria and Sankeerth Gandhari.
“In the semis, my brother and I were down 6-9 in the third-set tiebreaker,” Bell said. “We had to save four match points to reach the final.”
The following weekend featured the Bells playing doubles in the team tournament. During the event, teams played three doubles matches and six singles matches. Once a school got to five wins, the match ended. The Raiders took on Rockhurst High School in the semis and John Burroughs School in the championship.
“The next weekend we played our team state and we won together, which was pretty cool,” Bell said. “We won both 5-0.”
After a memorable senior season, Bell has his sights on the future. He’ll attend Texas Christian University in the fall to study mechanical engineering and has plans to play for the club tennis team. Cousin Greaves and his high school tennis partner Thornberry will attend Rhodes College in Memphis, and both will play on the men’s tennis team there.
Congratulations to both doubles teams and the Pembroke Hill program on another incredible season!
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