PRAIRIE VILLAGE ? Lawrence High’s Amy Bullerman and Lauren Kelly weren’t interested in picking up their medals Tuesday at the Sunflower League tennis meet.

Lawrence’s No. 1 doubles team had just dropped a a 7-5, 7-6 (7-1) heartbreaker to Shawnee Mission South’s Shelly Barger and Bailey Roberts in the third-place match.

“The girls are sad,” LHS coach Dick Wedel said. “They’re over there crying. They wanted me to pick up their medals. What they don’t realize is that Shawnee Mission South is a heck of a team, and they’re not in our region.”

Wedel was anything but sad after his doubles teams carried the Lions to a fourth-place finish in the 12-team meet.

In a tune-up for Monday’s Class 6A regional at Indian Creek Rec Center in Overland Park, Bullerman and Kelly (9-10) finished fourth in their bracket, while seniors Katie Robertson and Shannon Wanna (16-6) bolstered their regional seeding with a runner-up finish in No. 2 doubles.

“I love the way they played,” Wedel said of Robertson and Wanna. “This should help a lot at regional.”

Robertson and Wanna were seeded sixth, but the Lions blanked Shawnee Mission South, 8-0, before upending third-seeded Meghan Bock and Joanna Loewen of Free State High, 8-2, and fourth-seeded Shawnee Mission Northwest 6-1, 6-3.

“We picked up confidence as we went through the games,” Robertson said. “We played back-to-back, so we didn’t have a lot of time to think about it. We just kept playing.”

Robertson and Wanna finally fell, 6-2, 6-0, to Laine Mackey and Finley Gates of Shawnee Mission East in the final.

“I knew they were solid teams,” Wedel said of his doubles pairs, “but to get to the first- and third-place matches in the Sunflower League, which has got to be the premier tennis league in the state, is exciting.”

LHS junior Emily Thompson (5-4) finished ninth in No. 1 singles, while senior Cara Breeden (7-11) was seventh in the No. 2 spot.

LHS finished with 30 points in the team standings behind Shawnee Mission East (52), Olathe East (36) and Shawnee Mission Northwest (31).

The day didn’t go as well for Free State.

The Firebirds had finished in the top three in each of the last five years, but Free State tied for ninth in the 12-team field.

“We’re a better team than what we demonstrated today,” FSHS coach Jon Renberger said. “There’s no easy way to put it. It’s disappointing to me. We have to get some things corrected by Monday.”

Andrea Koch and Leigh Luina (7-5) were seeded seventh in No. 1 doubles but lost their opening match and finished ninth after rebounding with a pair of victories. Bock and Loewen (8-5) lost two of three matches in No. 2 doubles and finished seventh.

Things started badly in No. 2 singles when sophomore Julia Guard, who was seeded fifth, injured her hand in warmups and lost her opening match to 12th-seeded Abby Notberg of Shawnee Mission South, 8-6. Guard (6-3) bounced back with a pair of victories but settled for ninth place.

“If she doesn’t suffer that injury, she wins that first match,” Renberger said. “She played her last two matches in pain.”

Senior Jamie McGovern (12-8) was 2-2 and finished seventh in No. 1 singles.

“We have to use this as motivation for Monday and motivation for next year because five of these six girls will be back. You have to learn from this and get better.”

The top four finishers at Monday’s regional meet will advance to the 6A state tournament Oct. 15-16 in Topeka.