Chandler, East Ascension driving toward a higher goal as postseason arrives – The Advocate

The sounds filtering out of the East Ascension High gymnasium early Saturday morning were not unusual. There was the rhythm of multiple basketballs hitting the court and the squeak that sneakers make when a player cuts to the basket. It is music to Dennis Chandlers ears.

Stop hold up right there, the soft-spoken EAHS girls basketball coach said. The player walks toward him and Chandler says, That was a bad decision run it again.

The player nods and then executes the next three-on-three scrimmage so well that a teammate gets a layup. Then the Spartans run it again and again.

What might seem boring to some is the process that has helped East Ascension build a 23-1 record, its best in recent years for Chandler, who is now in his 19th year at the school. The Spartans will ride a 22-game winning streak into the Class 5A playoffs.

EAHS likely will be ranked No. 2 when the LHSAA releases its girls playoff pairings Monday. Working toward being No. 1 means winning a state title for most people. For Chandler and the Spartans, there is more to it.

I love this team, guard Lariah Ealy said. The most important thing weve learned from coach Chandler is to give your all. If you dont, you end up shortchanging yourself and your team. When we come to practice, we fix what we need to fix. We like the work.

The work is nothing new for the 57-year-old Chandler, who is in his 34th year of coaching. He spent 14 seasons at Tallulah-based McCall, now known as Madison Parish. His 1993 and 1994 teams won back-to-back Class 3A girls state titles.

East Ascensions deepest playoff run in recent years was a quarterfinal berth in 2009. The Spartans lost to Walker in overtime that year. This EAHS team is the product of what Chandler calls a three- to four-year process that kicked into high gear with a first-round playoff loss to a 27-1 Mandeville team last February.

We lost by double figures, but they saw it that night. The girls realized we werent that far away from those teams, Chandler said. Theyve always worked, but that game gave them confidence. And theyve worked even harder.

Post player Sharan Turner added, That game with Mandeville gave us hope. It pushed us.

Chandler will keep on pushing.

The good part about it is theres a lot of room for improvement, Chandler said. We have six seniors but we also have a group of freshmen and sophomores who are talented. Depth is important for us.

Ill tell them every day, 'You still havent met my standards.' Its about getting better. It doesnt matter who the opponent is. The goal should be to always take it to another level.

Post player Ashlyn Donaldson is a transfer from Walker who has added elements on and off the court. She has played with a partial ACL tear, displaying toughness. Donaldson also speaks to her EAHS teammates about being part of Walkers run to the 5A title game two years ago.

Our strength is our bench, Donaldson said. If we continue to work and keep our minds right, I like our chances. There are no set plays for a particular person here. This is basketball and you have to make decisions on the court.

Chandler insists that his players meet standards on and off the court. Representing the school properly is a demand, not a suggestion.

If all a child learns from me after four years is how to shoot a layup and how to run an offense and a defense, I think Ive failed them, Chandler said. There should be something they should take from this and apply to their life. The lessons are there.

The Mississippi native returns to Tallulah when he can. Chandlers former McCall players follow the Spartans by social media, sometimes sending him messages.

While the McCall teams represent a gold standard of the past, the golden opportunity that looms now also makes Chandler smile.

These kids have been resilient, Chandler said of the Spartans. There have been a couple of games where they refused to lose. It takes that. Now it goes one game at a time.

Follow Robin Fambrough on Twitter, @FambroughAdv

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Chandler, East Ascension driving toward a higher goal as postseason arrives - The Advocate