Jordan Denson hit a shot at the horn on Friday to put Chandler into the finals of the Ripley tournament, then the Lions led for almost the whole game against the host Warriors in the finals on Saturday.
The result was a 50-45 championship victory that didn’t feel quite that close. Chandler came home with a 7-3 record for the year and took a four-game winning streak into Tuesday night’s 66 Conference matchup with Prague.
Their three losses were by a total of six points: three to Henryetta, two to Jones and one to Seminole.
“I think the ceiling is pretty high,” said coach Shawn Blankenship. “I thought all along we were better than last year, and last year we were pretty close to the tournament. We should be a ranked team with a chance to go pretty deep.”
A year ago, the Lions were 6-4 after 10 games and finished 15-12 en route to a berth in the area tournament.
This year, they field a smaller, quicker team compared to last year’s and play an aggressive defensive style.
“We’ve improved by miles,” Blankenship said, comparing the team now to the way it played in its opening win over Luther. “We were basically pressing and trying to out-athlete people because we were so bad on offense.
“It wasn’t because we weren’t talented, but we played so poorly in terms of shot selection and moving the ball.
“Now, we’re at a point where we can play solid playoff basketball and beat good teams without having to turn them over.”
Chandler’s girls took the runnerup hardware at Ripley, beating Woodland and Kellyville before falling to Ripley in the finals.
Right, Jordan Denson goes baseline against Ripley Saturday night in the championship game of the Ripley tournament. Photo/Brian Blansett