Los Angeles Mad Drops Playoff Sweep: The Los Angeles Mad Drops delivered a commanding 3-0 sweep over the Brooklyn Pickleball Team on Saturday, August 16, at the Toray Major League Pickleball Playoffs. The match took place on Championship Court at Barnes Tennis Center in San Diego, California.
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Johns Leads the Charge
Brooklyn had won both regular season meetings between the teams, but Los Angeles showed its improvement with the addition of Ben Johns late in the season. Johns and Hunter Johnson opened strong, defeating Dekel Bar and Riley Newman 11-1 in men’s doubles.
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Mixed Doubleregular-seasons Finish
To close the series, Johns paired with Catherine Parenteau in mixed doubles. They controlled play against Rachel Rohrabacher and Dekel Bar, winning 11-3 and securing the sweep. The performance gave Los Angeles momentum as they advanced in the postseason.
Ben Johns explained how he and Hunter Johnson managed the difficult playing conditions.
“Obviously the conditions out here are a little tough for everybody with the wind. It’s pretty gusty in certain directions and swirling, so it’s a little unpredictable.
Hunter’s got probably the best drive in pickleball, and I know that’s pretty tough to deal with, so our gameplan was for both of us to be driving balls and hopefully get some free points off of that,”.
| MATCH | Los Angeles Mad Drops | VS | Brooklyn Pickleball Team | SCORE |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Women’s Doubles | Catherine Parenteau / Jade Kawamoto | VS | Rachel Rohrabacher / Jackie Kawamoto | 11–6 |
| Men’s Doubles | Ben Johns / Hunter Johnson | VS | Riley Newman / Dekel Bar | 11–1 |
| Mixed Doubles 1 | Catherine Parenteau / Ben Johns | VS | Rachel Rohrabacher / Dekel Bar | 11–3 |
| Mixed Doubles 2 | Jade Kawamoto / Hunter Johnson | VS | Jackie Kawamoto / Riley Newman | 0–0 |
| DreamBreaker | Hunter Johnson / Ben Johns / Catherine Parenteau / Jade Kawamoto | VS | Dekel Bar / Riley Newman / Rachel Rohrabacher / Jackie Kawamoto | 0–0 |
What It Means
The win highlighted the impact of Johns joining Los Angeles and how his presence shifted the balance in a matchup that had favored Brooklyn earlier in the year. With such a dominant showing, the Mad Drops look prepared to make a deep playoff run as the competition heads toward the finals in New York.
News in Brief: Los Angeles Mad Drops Playoff Sweep
The Los Angeles Mad Drops swept the Brooklyn Pickleball Team 3-0 in the MLP Playoffs in San Diego. Ben Johns and Hunter Johnson dominated men’s doubles, while Johns and Catherine Parenteau secured the sweep in mixed doubles. Los Angeles, boosted by Johns’ arrival, advanced with strong momentum.
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