Shelbyville boys tennis won their second straight match on Tuesday, tripping up the Taylorville Tornadoes in a quality win, 5-4.

After skunking MacArthur last week, 9-0, the Rams won a determined battle against Taylorville. They split the six singles matches, then took two of the three doubles matches for the win. The difference over the last few Ram events has been the ability of Jordan Gaston and Nick Selby to step up their games and knock off opponents.

Seniors Jason Barker and Lee Rincker were the leaders on and off the court for the Rams and were the best shot to get wins in the past, especially in #1 doubles. What has helped the Rams lately has been the surge from Gaston and Selby.

Selby is on his own streak. He won a singles match against Mt. Zion, teamed up with Gaston for a doubles win against Hillsboro, then was bumped up to the #1 singles slot against MacArthur. He won that match and joined with Gaston again to win their doubles match. He was left in the #1 singles slot against Taylorville and won that match, coming from behind, 3-6, 6-3, 6-4. The decisive match against Taylorville was Selby and Gaston’s #2 doubles match, which they won in dominant fashion 6-2, 6-4.

Selby now has six wins in the last four events, including a singles and doubles win in the last two events. Selby’s win total is second only to Gaston’s.

Gaston leads the team with seven wins, including six straight wins in the last three events. Gaston also won a singles match against Paris earlier in the season. Gaston won his third straight singles match on Tuesday, with a dominant first set win, 6-2, then holding off his opponent in the second set tie-break, 7-5. He then joined Selby for the doubles win, giving Shelby the margin for victory.

Jason Barker and Lee Rincker won the #1 doubles match to break the 3-3 team tie, taking a 7-6 tie-break in the first set and then stroking to a 6-4 second set win. Rincker also beat his #3 singles foe in a battle royal. Rincker won the first set 6-2, lost the second set 2-6, then out-toughed his opponent in a 7-5 tie-break for the win.

Shelby won three tie-breaks, one a three-set tie-break, in three of their five wins (2 singles, 1 doubles), giving them edge in the 5-4 team win.

Jason Barker took his #2 singles opponent to three sets, coming back from a slow start, before losing 0-6, 6-2, 4-6. Jordan Bogart and Calen Barker took their #3 doubles foes to a first set tie-break, losing 5-7, then losing steam. The #5 and #6 singles matches weren’t close.

Shelbyville will bask in the glow of their two match winning streak, then put it to the test at home against St. Teresa next Tuesday.

Shelbyville 5, Taylorville 4

Singles results: #1 Selby def. Peter Knope 3-6, 6-3-6-4; #2 Jason Barker lost to Eddie Kahle, 0-6, 6-2, 4-6; #3 Lee Rincker def. Travis Norville, 6-2, 2-6, 7-5; #4 Jordan Gaston def. Mike Huber, 6-2, 7-5; #5 Calen Barker lost to Lucas Snow, 0-6, 1-6; #6 Dan Calantoni lost to Derek Ryan, 0-6, 0-6

Doubles results: #1 Rincker/J. Barker def. Kayle/Norville, 7-6, 6-4; #2 Selby/Gaston def. Knope/Huber, 6-2, 6-4; #3 Jordan Bogart/C. Barker lost to Snow/Alex McClure, 5-7, 0-6.