La Near and Rea net Big 8 no. 1 doubles title

Friday, May 7, 2021
Nevada High School no. 1 doubles partners Andrew La Near (left) and Evan Rea pose with their first-place medals after beating Springfield Catholic in the Big 8 Conference tournament Wednesday at the Gillenwater Tennis Complex in Springfield.
Photo courtesy of Clayton Wheeler | Special to the Daily Mail

They may not have beaten the same two Springfield Catholic players who defeated them earlier this season, but Nevada High School no. 1 doubles partners Andrew La Near and Evan Rea were still able to avenge one of their only losses of the year Wednesday at the Big 8 Conference tennis tournament in Springfield — and brought home first-place medals for it, too.

La Near and Rea, both juniors, became conference champions by topping Morgan McClain and Wyatt Johnson 8-3, roughly a month after falling to McClain and Donald Mihalevich in a home dual.

Rea also placed second in no. 1 singles after McClain got the best of him in the finals, though this time by the closer score of 8-6 (McClain beat Rea 8-3 at that same dual on the NHS courts earlier this season).

Rounding out the Tigers' top-five results at the Big 8 tourney: Chosen Reichard and Jaden Theis finished fourth in no. 2 doubles, while Jamin Mosher and Trey Streeter also took fourth in no. 3 doubles.

Nevada will head to Bolivar on Friday for the individual competition of the Class 1 District 12 tournament against Clinton, Harrisonville, and the hosting Liberators. Team play is next week, with no. 3 seed NHS opening against No. 4 Harrisonville on Monday.

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