[4/28/04]One Neill sister started her high school tennis career with a state title on Tuesday, and the other ended it with one.

Freshman Bonney Neill and senior Carrie Neill, St. Aloysius’ girls doubles team, beat a pair of Catholic school foes to win the Class 1A state championship in Jackson.

The Neills defeated Mattie Smith and Kelin Hendrick in straight sets, 6-4, 6-2, in the finals to win the title. The St. Al duo also swept their opponents in the semifinals, beating Laurin Zepponi and Elizabeth Meadows of Greenville-St. Joe 6-2, 7-6.

“They played real well. Both matches, they just stuck to it and did the necessary things,” St. Al coach Leonard Banks said. “They were pretty consistent all day.”

St. Al’s other doubles team didn’t fare as well. The boys’ doubles tandem of Shih-Ting Huang and Matthew Jenkins lost in the semifinals to Greenville-St. Joe’s Cheston Cascio and Robert Curry, 6-2, 6-2.

Vicksburg High sophomore Jordan Henry, one of the top players in the state, lost in the Class 5A finals to Madison Central’s Bryan Bankester in straight sets.

Henry advanced through the semifinals by beating Northwest Rankin’s Chas Dunn, 6-4, 7-5.