Prep tennis: Pahman, Barnett claim individual sectional titles as Donoho advances to state

Donoho’s Bentlee Pahman and Harper Barnett have come a long way in a short amount of time.

Both players captured individual Class 4A-5A Section 5 tennis championships this week at Briarwood Christian School.

Pahman, a junior, claimed the singles title on Court 5, defeating Briarwood’s Margaret Harbor in the final.

She won the opening set 6-4 before dropping the second 6-0. After falling behind 4-0 in the tiebreaker, Pahman caught fire, rallying to win 10-7.

Competing in her first sectional tournament, Pahman can already call herself a champion. It’s just her second year on the tennis team and her first as a member of the top-six rotation.

Barnett, a seventh grader, earned the singles title on Court 6. Pressed into action a few weeks ago after a teammate suffered an injury, Barnett proved she was up to the challenge, giving Donoho two individual sectional champions.

The Falcons finished second to Briarwood in the team standings will compete in the state tournament on Monday and Tuesday in Mobile.