It was a tough but good week for the O’Neal girls’ tennis team.

With a 9-0 win over Village Christian last Thursday, the Falcons solidified their hold on second place in the Cape Fear Independent Confer-ence and earned a slot in the NCISAA state 2-A championship.

It was an emotional senior day for Katie Salloum, Maggie Hakas and Katherine McMurray, according to Falcon coach Carl Bryan.

“It was a great day for our seniors,” said Bryan. “I am so proud that Katherine, Katie and Maggie went out as winners in their matches and as a team. The girls played really well today and secured their conference runner-up spot. It was an emotional day as the seniors reflected on the season at the end of the match. I could not be more proud of the entire team for their work effort this season, and I am especially glad their efforts earned them a spot in the state championships.”

O’Neal, 11-5 overall, was coming off a tough loss to Cape Fear on Tuesday. That match was a battle for a share of first in the conference, and the visitors knocked off the Falcons 5-3, with one doubles match called because of darkness.

“If you look at the season thus far and what the girls have accomplished, today was a great turning point for our rivalry with Cape Fear,” Bryan said of the visitors, who have dominated the conference in recent seasons. “The first time we played them, we were defeated 7-2, and today we dropped the match realistically 5-4.”

The highlight of the Cape Fear match was provided by Falcon’s No. 1 singles player, Greyson Keel. Playing for more than two hours, Keel eventually fell 11-9 to Brooke Graham. O’Neal’s Emma Gentry Landry avenged an earlier loss to Cap Fear, taking the No. 3 singles match 10-0 over Alex Copley.

The Falcons depart Thursday for Rocky Mount to participate in the state championships. The Falcons were one of 12 teams selected out of 18 vying for the tournament.

O’Neal 9, Village Christian 0

Singles — Greyson Keel (ON) defeated Allison Copeland 10-0; Maggie Hakas (ON) def. Layne Sessoms 10-1; Emma Gentry Landry (ON) def. Olivia Stout 10-1; Sophia Renner (ON) def. Casey Patillo 10-4; Kennon Later (ON) def. Casey Patillo 10-2; Dana Averbook (ON) def. Stephanie Cales 10-0.

Doubles — Madison McGuirt-Keel (ON) def. Sessmons-Stout 8-0; Hakas-Renner (ON) def. Patillo-Royal 8-0; Katherine McMurray-Amanda Salloum (ON) def. Copeland-Cales 8-2.

Cape Fear 5, O’Neal 3

Singles — Graham (CF) def. Keel 11-9 ; Massey def. Hakas 10-4 ; Landry (ON) def. Copely 10-0; Dass (CF) def. Renner 10-4; Later (ON) def. Graham 10-4; Middleton (CF) def. Averbook 10-6.

Doubles — Keel-Landry (ON) d. Graham-Massey (Keel-Landry led 6-3 when match was called for darkness) ; Hakas-Renner (ON) def. Copely-Dass 8-2; Graham-Middleton (CF) def. McGuirt-Later 8-4.

S.P. Rec Registration

The registration deadline for the 2012-13 Southern Pines recreation winter basketball season is Thursday, Nov. 8, at 5 p.m. for ages 5-12. The deadline for ages 13-15 is Thursday, Dec. 6.

The rec department suggests that registration forms be submitted before these dates, as rosters are filling up, and there will be no guarantees for placement after this date.

Registration fee for the season is $10 for residents of Southern Pines, and $25 for nonresidents.

If you have questions about the leagues, contact the Southern Pines Recreation and Parks Department at (910) 692-2463.

Registration forms are available at the Campbell House or online at www.southernpines.net/recreation.