North Smithfield won a battle of undefeateds Thursday. Now it's ready for something bigger.

CRANSTON — The win was great. Being undefeated is terrific. But there’s nothing for the North Smithfield boys tennis team to celebrate.

At least not yet.

The Northmen traveled to Park View Middle School to take on Cranston East in a battle of unbeaten Division III teams. North Smithfield left with a convincing 5-2 win, are in the drivers’ seat to be the No. 1 seed for the playoffs and are a resounding favorite to win the crown.

But they know there’s a lot of tennis left this season.

“Cranston East we knew was going to be the toughest match by far,” North Smthfield No. 2 singles player Davis Carter said. “To have this win now, it’s great, but for the championship we’re still a little worried.

“Those were intense games, but we were good to get the win today.”

Last spring North Smithfield had its best season in a decade. The Northmen were 9-1-1 in the regular season, seeded second in the playoffs and looked like a team ready to win a title.

They never ended up playing for one.

North Smithfield was upset by St. Raphael in the semifinals and learned a lesson that winning playoff matches is a lot more difficult than winning in the regular season, especially with a team’s mental approach.

“Last year it was kind of up and down with the amount of players we had and this year we just wanted to focus on having fun and bringing the team closer together,” Drolet said. “It’s been easy for us that way because we all get along so well. It’s been so fun.”

Thursday was a big match in the Division III race, but North Smithfield treated it like any other match. The Northmen just went out and played the type of tennis they’ve played all year long.

The singles lineup showed up in a big way. Noah Schwartz was the first one off the courts Thursday, picking up a 6-3, 6-1 win at No. 3 and after Cranston East evened the score with Adrian Rosales’ win at No. 4, Drolet and Davis Carter put the Northmen up 3-1 with their wins at Nos. 1 and 2 singles.

“I think about my game first, obviously, because I have to help my team in the best way I can in winning those games,” Drolet said. “I have trust in my teammates that they’ll bring it home as well.”

The performance from Tim Ferry and Alex Tremblay at No. 1 doubles showed why. The duo didn’t waste any time and sealed the team’s victory with a 6-1, 6-1 win.

“We’re very confident in our singles, but confident in our doubles too,” Carter said. “All of us, we’re always prepared to go in. We have a strong team this year and it’s been great.”

So what does this win mean?

For one, it gives North Smithfield a certain amount of confidence down the homestretch of the regular season. The Northmen won’t let that turn into overconfidence. They want to finish strong, then get better when the postseason begins.

“We just have to make sure we can finish it out strong,” Carter said. “We’re not too worried about Burrillville, but obviously we still have to stay strong here. It’s been a long week, we’ve had three matches in a row and next week we have three matches in a row.

“We just have to have a lot of stamina and hopefully we’ll come out on top.”

As for Cranston East, Thursday gave it an idea of what it will take to potentially win a title – something the program hasn’t done since winning the state title in 1984.

“We can just learn to be more mentally tough,” Cranston East No. 1 Eston Fowler said. “We have to take this loss, store it and learn how to adapt to different opponents and then build off of it.

“A loss is good for everyone. We just needed a reset to remind us of the things we do need to work on.”

The Thunderbolts are a favorite to reach the final. The loss was their first and while there is still the matter of the division’s other undefeated team – Burrillville – Cranston East currently leads the Broncos 3-0 in a match that was suspended due to weather earlier this season.

Much like North Smithfield, the Thunderbolts want to finish strong and do what they can to create a rematch with the Northmen in Pawtucket next month.

“We just have to grind in practice, basically,” Fowler said. “That’s all it comes down to – make sure we have the basics down and can hit the ball correctly next time.”

Can North Smithfield do its part to make that happen?

With how the Northmen have played, it seems likely. North Smithfield has three matches left, all coming next week, playing Woonsocket and the Scituate/Johnston co-op before closing with Burrillville in a match that could be for the top seed in the D-III playoffs.

“We just have to stay focused and keep our bond going. We have to keep our bond going and getting closer together as a team,” Drolet said. “Just thinking ahead to the playoffs, to Burrillville, obviously, just keep our composure and stay calm and then we’ll be fine.”

“We’ve all learned what that playoff experience is like,” Carter said. “Our new players, we’ve all prepared them enough mentally for how they’re going to play in the playoffs.

“Playing in the playoffs is a whole other thing than the regular season. You’ve got a lot more close points, a lot more intense matchups and hopefully we’re going to be prepared.”

SINGLES: 1, Sam Drolet, NS, def. Eston Fowler, CE, 6-3, 6-4; 2, Davis Carter, NS, def. Eri Ogunde, CE, 7-5, 6-4; 3, Noah Schwartz, NS, def. Jackson Sigler, CE, 6-3, 6-1; 4, Adrian Rosales, CE, def. Justin Elledge, NS, 6-3, 6-3.

DOUBLES: 1, Tim Ferry/Nate Tremblay, NS, def. Jason Barrera/Ansony Chavarria, CE, 6-1, 6-1; 2, Kaiden Dalby/Bryce Santos, NS, def. James Fabiano/Jerfferson Shi, CE, 6-3, 6-3; 3, Johan Nawrocki/Danny Song, CE, def. Dylan Driscoll/Ben Tessier, 5-7, 6-1, 6-3.

This article originally appeared on The Providence Journal: North Smithfield beats Cranston East in Division III boys tennis match