There was never a doubt about what team had the upper hand in Monday’s Lehighton-Palmerton non-league tennis match

The Indians have the Cokrilja brothers - Bayto and Bekim - at the top of their singles lineup which made them a favorite to get a couple of early team points.

That meant the Bombers had no margin for error in the other three matches if they wanted to pull the upset.

That wasn’t to be, however, as host Lehighton recorded a 4-1 at the Valley Royale tennis courts.

The win elevates the Indians to 3-2 on the season, while Palmerton slipped to 2-2.

Lehighton head coach Cody Schuler knew heading into the season that the Corrilja sibblings were going to be a strong 1-2 punch at the top of his lineup - and they haven’t disappointed.

Yesterday, Bayto rolled to a 6-0, 6-0 victory over Colby Chadwick at No. 1 singles, whille brother Bekim beat back Levi Johnson, 6-0, 6-3 at No. 2 singles.

“It was a great day to watch some tennis,” said Schuler. “We’ve really got a solid 1-2 combination with Bayto and Bekim. I knew they would play well.”

The Cokrilja brothers hardly broke a sweat in dispatching their foes as their respective matches both lasted less than an hour.

Palmerton coach Jennifer Danzeisen knew her youthful team - which lost all three singles players from a year ago - would have problems with the Indians’ veteran and talented singles lineup.

“I expected it to be a bit of a challenge coming in,” she said “They’re No. 1 and 2 players are very strong. So that was a big challenge for Levi (Johnson) and Chadwick.”

Danzeisen saw some positives, however.

“Our kids were returning a lot of shots and that was a plus for us,” Danzeisen said., “I’m happy with the way we competed.”

While the top singles matches ended quickly, No. 3 singles was a marathon that lasted nearly 2 ½ hours and eventually needed a third-set super tiebreaker to decide the outcome. Lehighton’s Isaac Carpenter staved off the Bombers’ Jared Reinhard 10-5, to earn the hard fought victory.

Carpenter won the opening set 6-3, before Reinhard rebounded for a 7-5 decision in the second set and force the tiebreaker.

Lehighton’s No. 1 doubles team of Michael Bowman and Jeff Ebbert picked up a straight set victory over Palmerton’s Katie Heimbach and Anderson Garcia-Escobar 6-2, 7-6 (7-4).

The Bombers picked up their lone win at No. 2 doubles when Halder Lake and Colton Ruzicke defeated Sophia Bastone and Anna Howland, 6-1, 6-1.

LOBS … Indians were a terror the past two seasons combing for a 21-7 record, including an 11-4 mark last season.

GROWING PAINS … Palmerton will get better as the season moves forward. Battling the Corkrilja brothers - who both played in the District 11 tournament last year - will be a help to the Bombers’ inexperienced singles players going forward.

Lehighton 4, Palmerton 1

SINGLES

Bayto Cokrilja (L) def. Colby Chadwick 6-0, 6-0; Bekim Cokrilja (L) def. Levi Johnson 6-0, 6-3; Isaac Carpenter (L) def. Jared Reinhard 6-5, 5-7, 10-5.

DOUBLES

Michael Bowman/Phillip Ebbert (L) def. Katie Heimbach/Anderson Garcia-Escobar 6-2, 7-6 (7-4); Hadlee Lake/Colton Ruzicka (P) def. Anna Howland/Sofia Bastone 6-1, 6-1.