PREP BADMINTON / SOUTHERN SECTION DIVISION I CHAMPIONSHIPS : Garden Grove Ends Keppel’s Streak at 115

Garden Grove ended Alhambra Keppel’s five-year reign as Southern Section badminton champions with a 10-9 victory in the Division I final Thursday at Cypress College.

Top-seeded Keppel (18-1) had a 115-match winning streak.

“Beating Keppel is the highlight,” Garden Grove Coach Vicki Toutz said. “One-hundred-fifteen wins and it won’t be 116.”

Garden Grove (17-1), winning its first Southern Section title since 1986, faced Keppel in last year’s final and lost, 15-4. This year’s title came down to the final match.

Going into the final four matches, Garden Grove led, 8-7, needing two victories for the championship.

Keppel tied the score, 8-8, after its No. 1 boys’ double team of Qui Nguyand Jaky Wu defeated the Argonauts’ No. 2 team of Wook Kim and Huy Ton, 15-11, 15-6.

The Aztecs led, 9-8, after a victory from their No. 1 girls’ doubles. Frances Ho and Cindy Wong put away Hanh Vi and Helen Yoo, 15-8, 15-8.

Garden Grove’s chances then rested on the shoulders of its No. 1 girls’ and boys’ doubles teams.

Lien Ly and Huong Nguyen tied the score, 9-9, with a 15-7, 15-11 victory over Tuyet Lai and Iris Chu.

David Nguyen and Dung Cu, won the first game, 15-8, against Chung Nguy and Dennis Tirtadjaja and with the crowd on its feet, Nguyen and Cu brought the title home with a 15-11 victory.

“They have the ability,” Toutz said. “They have been a little sporadic this year, but they played tough and consistent today.”

Ly and Nguyen gave Garden Grove one of the biggest victories of the day when they rallied, down a match point, to defeat Ho and Wong in girls’ doubles. After losing the first game 5-15, Ly and Nguyen battled back from a 14-12 deficit to win, 17-14, 15-8.

“We just didn’t give up,” Toutz said. “It was really good gutty play. I am just really proud of these kids.”

The Argonauts lost five of eight singles matches, but overwhelmed Keppel in doubles play, winning seven of 11.

Garden Grove jumped to an early 3-2 lead, winning two of three mixed doubles matches.

In the No. 3 spot, Mike Lam and Rashi Gupta easily defeated Vincent Yeung and Lai, 15-4, 15-9. Cu and Ly refused to give up after dropping their first game to Nguy and Ho, 8-15. After a brief pep talk from Toutz, Cu and Ly took Game 2, 15-10, and squeaked by in Game 3, 17-15.

“I’m too emotional right now,” said Toutz, who had lost her voice after the match. “It’s been a long time. It’s nice to come back and play Keppel again. We proved we could compete with a team of their caliber and win.”