Boys' tennis: Palisades wins fourth straight City title

Palisades' Joseph Silvers notched the clinching point with a 6-0 triumph over El Camino Real's Nick Koretsky and the Dolphins pulled out a 15-14 1/2 victory in the Los Angeles City Section team finals Thursday afternoon at Balboa Sports Center in Encino. 

It was Palisades' 30th City boys title and fourth in a row. The Dolphins claimed a record five straight section championships from 1969-73 and again from 1995-99, a feat later equaled by El Camino Real from 2000-04.

Silvers, the top seed for the upcoming City Individual tournament, dropped only one game in four sets at #1 singles. Sam Catanzaro won two sets at #2 singles, Spencer Pekar and Alex Nam won two out of three sets at #1 doubles, Bailey Joseph and Austin Gingold took a set at #3 doubles and Robert Silvers paired with Brendel Palumbo to sweep at #2 doubles for top-seeded Palisades (18-2).

"I was aware of the situation," Silvers said of his decisive final set. "ECR has good singles players and I expected a tough match. I thought if I didn't sweep, we wouldn't win and that proved to be the case."

Jaime Barajas and E.J. Laredo each won three out of four singles sets and Ezra Soriano and Dominik Barillas won two out of three sets at #1 doubles for the third-seeded Conquistadores (14-3), who upset West Valley League rival Granada Hills, 15 1/2-14, in Monday's semifinals.   

On Wednesday, Franklin defeated Chatsworth, 17 1/2-12, to capture the Invitational Division crown. 

-- Steve Galluzzo