The Kearsarge High boys tennis team showed its experience on home court and delivered a 7-2 win over Moultonborough Academy in the Division III semifinals on Monday.

Senior No. 1 Liam Miller led the charge early, winning his No. 1 singles and a doubles match, while sophomore No. 5 Rylan Fitzgerald sealed the Cougars’ vistory with a 9-7 win in singles to advance to the championship.

No. 2 Kearsarge (15-1) had a few close contests, but for the most part dominated in singles as Miller, senior Graham West, junior William Reid and eighth grader Max Reid all won.

The Cougars’ first four singles matches were won comfortably by margins of four games or more, but junior Jakeb Lizotte lost his singles match against the Panthers’ Marcus Jones, which left Fitzgerald in a precarious situation with the opportunity to clinch.

Fitzgerald’s match against Brodie Bacon was a fierce back-and-forth as both players made adjustments, trying to come back after breaking each other’s serves multiple times. In the end, Fitzgerald persevered with strong serves, shots down the line to Bacon’s backhand and some tough rallying to stay in the game.

“It feels great. I’m very excited that we got into the championship, going back again. Last year we didn’t win, and I’m really excited to get another chance to win it,” Fitzgerald said.

“I think if we just keep doing what we’re doing, putting in the hard work and staying focus, I think we can go get that win.”

No. 3 Moultonborough (9-3) had lost to Kearsarge earlier in the season, 7-2, but had an experienced team that made the Cougars work. However, one of the team’s top four players was out, and the adjustment to the lineup cost the Panthers in singles.

Kearsarge’s Liam Miller and Graham West won their doubles match 8-0, and Max Reid and Lizotte also won the third doubles. William Reid and Fitzgerald fell in doubles and said that working on serves and approaches to the net will be key to getting a win on Wednesday.

The victory advances Kearsarge to its fifth straight D-III championship match appearance. Head coach Lynn Miller, who is in her 10th year with the Kearsarge program, has been looking at the end of her coaching career but was very happy with the success of her team.

It took her five years to build the team culture that she thought would yield wins, and now the work is paying off. Despite losing four players from last year’s starting group, earsarge has stayed strong and will look to Wednesday with a championship pedigree, focus and a team-first mindset, according to Miller.

Kearsarge — which won state titles in 2021 and 2023 and had faced Plymouth in the last three finals — will face a new opponent, No. 5 Bishop Brady, in Wednesday’s championship. The Giants upset No. 4 Prospect Mountain in the quarterfinals and No. 1 St. Thomas in the semifinals on their path to the final.

“I think we definitely got a strong group, and I think that tomorrow, just not be preoccupied with our score the last time we played St. Thomas or Bishop Brady, whoever wins that,” Liam Miller said after his team’s win. “Win or lose, just go out there and play like it’s a new game.”

No. 5 Bishop Brady 6, No. 1 St. Thomas 3

Just two years ago, the Giants (9-7) couldn’t even field a team. Now they’re headed to the championship after an upset the top-ranked Saints (13-2) to advance to Wednesday’s D-III final at Memorial Field.

Brady was swept by Kearsarge, 9-0, when the two teams last saw each other on April 24, and the Giants went a combined 0-5 against Prospect Mountain and St. Thomas in the regular season, the two teams they just upset. The Saints beat Bishop Brady 8-1 recently, on May 20, but that did not stop the Giants from earning Monday’s win.

Alex Pelletier (8-3 at No. 3), Ethan He  nry (8-2 at No. 4), James Horangic (9-8 (7-2) at No. 5) and Matthew Bissah (8-1 at No. 6) all won their singles matches to give Brady a 4-2 lead heading into doubles.

Pelletier and Henry (No. 2), and Horangic and Bissah (No. 3) won their doubles matches by 8-5 scores to punch the Giants’ ticket to the championship.