But for Luke Edmonds and Trent Miller of Loyalsock, they played as if they had been playing for years together without missing a beat. The Lancer pair won at No. 2 doubles against Galeton on a chilly and rainy Tuesday afternoon and that, coupled with a pair of singles wins, helped lift Loyalsock to a 3-0 win against Galeton to advance to Thursday’s quarterfinals.

Loyalsock will face Danville on Thursday at Danville at 4 p.m.

“Both of those kids, it’s the first year that they played, so it’s been a work in progress for them,” Loyalsock coach Kirk Bower said. “So, it’s nice to see them win a match the way they did. Again, they’re kids who want to learn how to play the game and they’re having fun out there.”

Edmonds and Miller played well at No. 2 doubles against Tanner Cizek and Luke Kinsely and earned a 6-1, 6-1 win. With a player for Loyalsock being sick, a doubles reshuffling ended up pairing Edmonds and Miller together and they did well to step up for Loyalsock.

MARK NANCE/Sun-Gazette Correspondent Galeton's Max Schloegel returns a hit from Loyalsock's Nathaniel DePrenda in the #2 seed match at Bruce Henry Park Tuesday.

And, while they may not pair again in the next round with Loyalsock’s usual starters back, it still was beneficial for the pair to pick up a postseason win together in their first season playing tennis.

“I think it’ll help. We did have one of our players on No. 1 doubles was sick today, so I had to move the one kid up,” Bower said. “So, it wasn’t our typical lineup, but I think for them it gives them a little confidence for down the road and next year.”

At No. 1 singles, Loyalsock’s Elijah Lin dominated against Corbin Basile of Galeton. Lin routinely placed well-executed serves and returns out of Basile’s reach, using his power to his advantage on hits.

“In the first set my serves were a little bit iffy, but second set I got in the groove. My first serves were good and getting back in pace,” Lin said. “They were starting to become faster, more accurately hitting the targets I wanted to hit. That’s what was working for me today.”

Once Lin went up 6-0, he noted that he could play a little risky with some shots and returns.

MARK NANCE/Sun-Gazette Correspondent Loyalsock's Elijah Lin returns a shot from Galeton's Corbin Basile in the #1 seed match at Bruce Henry Park Tuesday.

“Since it’s 6-0 (in first set), I realized I could be a little bit more dangerous, little bit riskier and I can close the game out faster,” Lin said. “Because of that, I didn’t allow deuces to happen. It was risky shots I could go for because I had the confidence they would go in and I would not miss.”

“Elijah’s a player who definitely puts the time into it, he works hard. The one thing that we’ve really been working on and improving on is his patience,” Bower said. “He lets his game dictate what he does rather than trying to force shots. His patience has gotten a lot better. He’s just becoming more consistent.”

His patience was on display on Tuesday afternoon as well, with him not making mistakes and letting the ball come to him for returns. It’s what resulted in his straight set win.

Loyalsock’s other victory came at No. 3 singles where David Bjorkman beat Isaac Miller, 6-1, 6-1. Bjorkman did well in that matchup much like Lin did, not making mistakes or giving Miller easy return opportunities. That win at No. 3 singles was the second win for the Lancers which gave them a 2-0 advantage following Lin’s quick win at No. 1 singles.

The doubles win clinched the matchup.

MARK NANCE/Sun-Gazette Correspondent Galeton's Corbin Basile returns a hit from Loyalsock'sElijah Lin in the #1 seed match at Bruce Henry Park Tuesday.

At No. 1 doubles, the Lancers’ Ian Bower and Marco Blas won the first set, 6-3, and were in control of the second set, leading 5-1 before it was pulled. At No. 2 singles, Nathaniel DePrenda of Loyalsock won the first set, 6-3, and he was tied with Mas Schloegel 1-1 in the second set when the match was pulled.

Up next is another matchup with Danville, a team that the Lancers are familiar with having battled them twice this season.

“The big thing both times we played them, the matches were competitive and very close. Right now, I really believe for us it’s just a confidence thing to recognize that they saw they were close with them the other times we played them and just being able to get over that little hump to beat them,” Bower said. “Many times, going into a third time playing a team, it’s difficult to beat a team three times. I feel pretty good about our chances and just going out and playing and having fun.”

Lin has beaten David Sommer twice this year, and he gets a third matchup with him on Wednesday afternoon at the Central PA Tennis Center with a District 4 singles semifinals matchup against him. And, if Lin can win and advance, he’ll likely face Jersey Shore standout Ryder Fink in the final.

“I’ve beaten David Sommer both times, hoping to beat him again. Ryder Fink is going to be sort of a problem. I’ve seen him play. He’s a very good consistent, confident player,” Lin said. “He doesn’t make easy mistakes that a lot of younger players, freshmen like me, do. He doesn’t rush. He runs to everything. He has super good physicality so he’ll be a match.”

MARK NANCE/Sun-Gazette Correspondent Loyalsock's Nathaniel DePrenda returns a shot from Galeton's Max Schloegel in the #2 seed match at Bruce Henry Park Tuesday.

Loyalsock 3, Galeton 0

(DISTRICT 4 TEAM TOURNAMENT)

SINGLES

1. Elijah Lin (L) def. Corbin Basile, 6-0, 6-0; 2. Nathaniel DePrenda (L) led Max Schloegel, 6-3, 1-1, pulled; 3. David Bjorkman (L) def. Isaac Miller, 6-1, 6-1.

DOUBLES

MARK NANCE/Sun-Gazette Correspondent Loyalsock's Nathaniel DePrenda returns a shot from Galeton's Max Schloegel in the #2 seed match at Bruce Henry Park Tuesday.

1. Ian Bower/Marco Blas (L) led David Martin/Trey Sykora, 6-3, 5-1, pulled; 2. Luke Edmonds/Trent Miller (L) def. Tanner Cizek/Luke Knisely, 6-1, 6-1.

MARK NANCE/Sun-Gazette Correspondent Loyalsock's Nathaniel DePrenda returns a shot from Galeton's Max Schloegel in the #2 seed match at Bruce Henry Park Tuesday.

MARK NANCE/Sun-Gazette Correspondent Loyalsock's Elijah Lin returns a shot from Galeton's Corbin Basile in the #1 seed match at Bruce Henry Park Tuesday.