Lake Placid’s Henry Becker bombs a serve during a home match against Seton Catholic on Tuesday. (Enterprise photo — Chris Gaige)

LAKE PLACID — The Lake Placid boys tennis team was in peak form Tuesday as its players fought their way to a 4-1 victory over the Seton Catholic Knights on their home courts. The Blue Bombers are now 4-5 overall.

Lake Placid’s Henry Becker led the way in the No. 1 singles spot with a 6-0, 6-3 victory over Seton’s Kevin Nguyen. Becker was up 5-0 at one point in the second set before Nguyen reeled off a string of three games in a row. Becker then broke Nguyen’s serve at 5-3 to get the win.

At No. 2 singles, Parker Scanio served up a bagel, winning the first set 6-0. There was no second set, as his opponent, Yohan Yong, retired from the match due to an injury, giving Scanio the victory.

Boys tennis coach Tyler Chase was pleased with Becker and Scanio. Both graduating seniors, he said he would miss them a lot next year, but was glad to see them saving their best for last.

He commended Becker for holding steady and playing “smart tennis.” Even with a commanding lead, matches can often turn on a dime, and it’s easy for players to get nervous or upset with themselves — and subsequently stifle the quality of their play — in these moments.

Chase was proud of Becker for standing strong when it mattered most. Despite losing a few games so close to the finish line, when it’s often the easiest to become frustrated, Becker remained calm and composed to get the job done.

With its two singles matches in the bag, it didn’t take too much longer for the team overall to notch a victory for the day, securing the third and deciding match when the No. 2 doubles team of Liam Gotham and Levi Barney powering through to a convincing 6-2, 6-2 win over Seton’s Gabriel Dolan and Theo Humbert.

Chase thought it was the duo’s best performance of their career so far.

“They played really well,” he said. “We were trying out some new things, which they were receptive to.”

Chase said that for most of the season, Gotham and Barney would play points, as is common in doubles tennis, with one player at the net and the other hanging back at the baseline. On Tuesday, Chase switched up the strategy and had the boys experiment with attacking the net in unison, bringing the baseline player forward for a more dominating offense.

Chase’s gambit paid off. Gotham and Barney’s agile footwork, quick reactions and team coordination allowed them to fortify their court coverage during many of the rallies, preventing their opponents from getting much past them.

“I was really nice to see it working,” Chase said.

The other two boys’ doubles matches went the distance — each going to deciding third sets. On one level, some of the pressure was off, as the Bomber boys were guaranteed to carry the day regardless of those outcomes. However, lots still remained on the line.

The road to the state tournament at Flushing Meadows first requires players here to make it through sectionals. The seeding, which largely determines how difficult a draw a player will have, is based on individual singles or doubles performances rather than overall school team scores.

With that in players’ minds, there was another added bit of suspense. The matches began earlier as Seton Catholic found itself in a time crunch — there was a National Honor Society induction ceremony that many of its players were going to attend.

Their coach initially thought that he would have to end things early. But at the last minute, just as the bus had started and its players were getting ready to head back north, Seton’s athletic director called back and said the show could go on.

At this point, the No. 1 doubles match — one of the last to begin play — resumed at one set apiece. The Blue Bombers came up clutch, as teammates Porter Dominesey and Ian Munsen pulled off a comeback, winning 4-6, 6-3, 6-4.

Seton’s lone win of the day came at No. 3 doubles, where Joshua Cai and Ryan Jenkins had their own comeback, defeating Bombers Hayden Damour and Samir Dimuccio 1-6, 7-5, 6-3. It was a match that looked promising at first for Lake Placid, but one that ultimately got away.

“I wish they were able to have finished it off,” Chase said. “But, that’s how it goes.”

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GIRLS TENNIS

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Seton Catholic 5, Lake Placid 0

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The Lake Placid girls tennis team fell to Seton Catholic in a clean sweep on Tuesday. At No. 1 singles, the Blue Bombers’ Jennifer Giroux kept it close early, but was ultimately beaten by Seton’s Chloe Lawliss, who won 7-5, 6-1.

The match was a spectator’s delight, as many of the rallies were extended. Each player was able to move fast, cover the court well and chase down balls that seemed unreachable at first. In the end, Lawliss’s ability to dictate shot placement and control the direction of many rallies proved decisive.

The No. 2 singles ended up being the closest match of the day, as the Knights’ Grace Bleeker defeated Lake Placid’s Fiona Sullivan 5-7, 6-2, 6-4. Seton’s No. 1 doubles team fo Olivia Gauthier and Sophie Kabeli defeated the Blue Bombers’ Sophie Spanburgh and Zoe Carpenter 7-5, 6-3.

At No. 2 doubles, the Knights’ Grace Trombley and Monique Allen bested Lake Placid’s Alida Carlson and Avory Lemoy 6-1, 6-4. At No. 3 doubles, Bella Spiegel and Lenka Tardif defeated the Blue Bombers’ Laura Geurrero and Yesleidys Alverez 6-1, 6-0 The Blue Bombers are back in action on Friday against the Peru Nighthawks. It’s a home game and senior night for Lake Placid, although with rain showers possible, Chase advised potential spectators to stay tuned.