SOUTHERN SECTION BADMINTON CHAMPIONSHIPS : Estancia’s Shuffling Allows Coach to Go Out a Winner

Estancia badminton Coach Lillian Brabander wanted to go out a winner in Thursday’s Southern Section 4-A finals, so she pulled a major juggling act with her lineup to enhance her chances.

Brabander ended her 18-year career as Estancia’s badminton coach in grand style when the Eagles defeated Nogales, 12-7, at Cypress College to win their second consecutive 4-A championship and 40th consecutive dual match.

“I feel on top of the world,” Brabander said. “The kids gave me 100%, and you can’t ask for more than that. This is the best team I’ve had in my career--skill-wise and attitude-wise.”

The Estancia coach, who retires with a career record of 329-28, including 14 league titles and four section titles, broke up her undefeated (42-0) mixed doubles team of Chau Nguyen and Doan Nguyen (no relation) and her unbeaten (71-0) girls’ doubles duo of Doan Nguyen and Concha Gil.

Doan Nguyen was moved to girls’ singles, where she hadn’t competed all year, and she romped to 11-0, 11-2 victories over Nogales’ No. 1 player, Lenh Phui, and 11-0, 11-3 victories over No. 2 Michelle Chen.

In mixed doubles, Brabander moved Doan Nguyen to the No. 3 team with Son Ha Tram and brought up the No. 3 girl, Esther Viramontes, to pair with Chau Nguyen. The strategy paid off as Estancia swept all three mixed doubles matches en route to taking a commanding 7-4 lead after the first round of play.

“It would have been foolish to put all that power in one event,” Brabander said. “If we had stayed the same, Nogales could have moved its power around and had the advantage. We lucked out when they put their power (Seng Douangphachan and Phui) in their No. 3 (mixed doubles) team where we had our power.”

Chau Nguyen not only carried his mixed doubles match with 15-8, 15-8 victories over Nogales’ Porn Chaturabul and Anel Mercado, but he swept his singles matches against Son Le and Jeetu Mahbubani to end the season with a 58-2 record.

Gil and Viramontes clicked in girls’ doubles by defeating Vikki Comendador and Mercado, 15-12, 15-1, in the No. 1 pairings and Kuimeuy Cheun and Anh Nguyen, 15-13, 15-7, in the second round. The Eagles’ top boys’ doubles team of Danh Nguyen and Son Ha Tram also swept to a pair of victories.