Lady Lions academic champions

The Chandler High School girls basketball team was named the 2024 Class 3A State Academic Champions by the OSSAA last week.

“I was just extremely proud of them. They deserve it. They work really hard, both on the court and in the classroom,” Coach Kent Franz said.

To determine the award, the OSSAA takes the grade point average of the roster for the first playoff game. Of the 13 students on the roster, 11 had a 4.0, with the last two very close to that, according to Franz. “It’s not every day you have almost an entire team with a perfect grade point average.”

The Lady Lions finished the season at 13 and 13, which is an improvement from last year, according to Franz. While they had hoped to have a winning record, he said at least they didn’t have a losing one. Regardless of their goals for the season, the coach said the idea is to get better each year, which he believes they will.

Three seniors are leaving the team - taking with them three of the 4.0s however, there are two girls who didn’t play this year due to injuries who should play next year. They also bring strong grades.

“So, as long as we take care of our business, we’ll have a chance to win this again next year, and hopefully, we can add a few more wins on the basketball court as well,” Franz said. “I’m very, very proud of their accomplishments both in the classroom and on the court - this season.”