BROOKHAVEN — Enterprise lost all seven courts in the third round of the MHSAA 1A Team Tennis playoffs to Sacred Heart Wednesday night. The loss ended the team’s championship hopes but the season is far from over. 

Individual state tournament is next for Marlee Johnson, Hunter Givens and Alayna Barnett. Boys singles player Kolby Sagely, who won district, will also compete at the individual state championships on April 25 in Vicksburg. 

Sagely nearly won the only court for Enterprise at Brookhaven Country Club Wednesday. He lost the first set but fought back to win the second set forcing a tiebreaker. It was an intense match but Sagely fell 9-11. 

“It gets a little jittery. You get the feeling it is win or lose and it is a championship game in your mind. It was just crazy today,” Sagely said. “We had a great team this year. I’m proud of all of them. I’m just glad of where we made it. We improved a lot from last year. It is our first time to make the playoffs in a few years and actually make a run. We are going to get better and come back stronger.” 

His attention turns next to the individual tournament. He played in the individual tournament last year and saw some strong competition. A sophomore, he would have been a freshman last season and had to play a strong senior player and was eliminated early on. 

Sagely said this year will be different and he hopes to be able to win it all. Over the next two weeks, he will practice serves, hitting and working to get better before he and Johnson, Givens and Barnett make the trip to Vicksburg. 

His career at Enterprise started in seventh grade but COVID cut the season short. Head Coach Karen Dunaway asked him to play singles his eighth grade year because no one else wanted to play and he stuck with it. Sagely said he does not like playing doubles because he thinks too much like a singles player and becomes a bit of a ball hog. 

His sister Kendall Sagely is the reason he even plays tennis. About the time he was in fifth or sixth grade, his sister played tennis at the rec department. Sagely would sit in the car but the coach asked if he wanted to play tennis. 

“I got out and on my first hit the guy said I was a natural,” Sagely said. “I wanted to join the tennis team at Enterprise so badly. It was really fun when I finally got to play my eighth grade year. There were a lot of great guys I played against. I got my butt whooped. I started taking lessons with John (Lofton) and he helped me get to where I’m at.” 

Tennis is basically his only sport now. While he gave football a try, tennis is where his heart is. One of his dreams is to play tennis in college and then one day make the pros. 

Sagely said he is not sure yet what he would like to study but he wants to go to LSU and play tennis. 

His grandmother worked at LSU and he has loved the Bayou Bengals since he was a young kid. Sagely was born in Baton Rouge, lived in Jackson, Louisiana before moving to Enterprise in 2007 or 2008. 

“She died when Joe Burrow went to the national championship. The day after they won the national championship, she was trying to get him to come see her. He ended up sending her a signed jersey,” Sagely said. “She was a big fan of gymnastics and other LSU sports. I have a pink LSU towel she gave me. My whole family is from over there.”

Other tennis results

Bogue Chitto fell to Resurrection Christian 5-2 in the MHSAA playoffs Tuesday.

Ole Brook will host West Jones in the South State championship game in tennis at 3p.m. Friday at Brookhill.