After fighting through what their coach called the “blah” stage, Lawrence High’s No. 1 doubles tennis team of Tommy Johnson and Rahul Gogineni provided a bright spot on a rather dreary day at the Lawrence Invitational.

The duo led Blue Valley West’s Andrew Browder and Tommy Magnuson, 7-3, in the fifth-place match, let down a bit, then regained their swagger for an 8-6 victory at the Lawrence Tennis Center.

“It must have been the third or fourth game, when it was kind of just ‘blah’ doubles,” LHS coach Dick Wedel said. “And then, somehow, they both started to move, they both got more active, and that’s what doubles is about.”

The two good friends, who rarely play doubles together, began to click after struggling in a first-round loss to eventual first-place finisher Shawnee Mission East. During the final match of the day — especially while they were building their advantage — they displayed strong play at the net and a left-handed serve from Gogineni that kept opponents off balance.

Just a couple of weeks ago, they made it official that they would play together next season at Grinnell (Iowa) College. Thursday’s solid finish might have opened up a window of opportunity for the future.

“That’s up to Tommy and whether he wants to do it,” Gogineni joked.

“Maybe at Grinnell,” Johnson added.

As a team, the Lions placed seventh of eight teams in the competitive field.

They finished right behind Baldwin, which was impressive as the only Class 4A school participating.

Lawrence High's Ryan Robinson returns a ball during the Lawrence High Invitational. LHS was seventh at the event Thursday at the Lawrence Tennis Center.

Chris Irick made noise for the Bulldogs with a fifth-place finish in No. 1 singles, while Ben Knoll rallied from a semifinal defeat to take third in No. 2 singles.

Lawrence’s Ryan Robinson took seventh in No. 1 singles, and Anthony Frei took eighth in No. 2.

In No. 2 doubles, Lions Justin Isbell and Thomas Nieto were seventh.

Blue Valley Northwest took the overall team title, eking out a three-point victory over Shawnee Mission East.

The most dominant individual performance of the day came from the state’s top singles player, Brett Helgeson of Blue Valley West, who also is ranked in the top 10 nationally.

He won the singles title in a short but sweet fashion, with a powerful forehand and nearly flawless shot placement.

6Sports video: LHS place 7th at Invitational

The tournament provided solid competition comparable to what the Lions have waiting for them in next week’s Topeka West Invitational and next month’s Sunflower League meet, Wedel said.

“This was a really, really good tournament,” Wedel said. “Realistically, looking at this competition, we did about what we thought we could do. I kind of threw them into the lions’ den, so they’re learning, and they’re getting good competition.”