Logansport outlasts Lewis Cass 3-2 to take the Logan Sectional title

Shane Pearson's three-set win at No. 3 singles sealed a 3-2 championship win over Lewis Cass and sent the 13-6 Berries into a Tuesday regional semifinal against Seeger.

A single point separated the sides at the finish, and Logansport claimed the Logan Sectional boys tennis championship Thursday by edging Lewis Cass 3-2. For the second evening in a row, everything rested on junior Shane Pearson at No. 3 singles, and he got past Kings freshman Luke Salyers 3-6, 6-2, 6-4 to close it out.

Pearson dropped the opening set and was behind 4-3 in the third when a light rain arrived, a development he felt worked in his favor. “The rain actually helped me on my drop shots because it was hard to get to them because he slid,” he said, adding that he aimed shots around Salyers whenever the freshman charged forward. Of his opponent, Pearson noted: “He hit back very well. He was very consistent.” His response was to attack the net and hunt for errors.

Speaking afterward, Pearson admitted he was not at his sharpest but said coming through for his teammates at the end “felt amazing.” He traced his tennis roots to cousin Blake Pearson, who introduced him to the sport ahead of his freshman year; a summer of work before year two brought a varsity spot. The cousin chipped in on the day as well, beating Jaden Figueredo 6-2, 6-2 for Logansport's opening point.

At No. 1 doubles, Taylor Albright and Kaleb Loman supplied the Berries' other victory, losing the first set to Sam Hull and Myles Johnson before winning 3-6, 6-2, 6-4. Coach Travis Nolte pointed out the tandem had fallen to Twin Lakes a night earlier, then “pulled it together in the third set.” “Once they believe in themselves, we usually do pretty well,” he said.

Lewis Cass collected both of its points near the top of the card. At No. 1 singles, senior Liam Ellington handled Logansport junior Owen Hankins 6-4, 6-3, moving to 2-1 against him this season and 18-3 at the position overall; Ellington said matchups with Hankins are always tight and credited his lobs. The Kings' remaining win came at No. 2 doubles, where Jayden Ramer and Brody Skiles topped Easton Sweet and Trace Young 6-4, 0-6, 6-2.

Ellington is not done for the year. The senior moves on to the IHSAA Individual State Tournament next week, carrying a record whose only blemishes have come against Logansport, Eastern and Peru.

The Kings closed at 11-8 while chasing a second sectional championship in a three-year span. Coach Matt Hurst said his group competed “with heart” in a third meeting with the Berries that grew tighter each time — a far cry from the 5-0 defeat to Logan that opened Cass's season on Aug. 20. He credited his players' accumulated practice hours for closing that gap, praised Salyers for grinding through damp conditions, and noted the painted lines turn especially slick, which can plant doubt in a player's mind about footing.

For Logansport, the trophy is the program's 15th and its first since 2021. Nolte said he spent the season telling his roster that Lewis Cass keeps improving and that nothing would be handed over, and in the end the Kings “gave us everything they had.”

Attention now shifts to the Harrison Regional. The 13-6 Berries meet Seeger (15-1) in one semifinal Tuesday at 5 p.m., with Kokomo (21-3) paired against West Lafayette (18-3) in the other.