Alexandria Senior High School (ASH) Varsity Basketball Team. A progressive varsity prep hoops program in the city of Alexandria.  Head Basketball Coach: Alan Tinsley Assistant Coach:  Eddie Neal

Coach Tinsley in his third year at ASH is excited about the 2012-13 Trojans basketball team.  A good group of athletes with youth and experience make up the team with great potential.  Come support your ASH team.

"During the season, your team should be led with exuberance and excitement. You should live the journey. You should live it right. You should live it together. You should live it shared. You should try to make one another better. You should get on one another if somebody’s not doing their part. You should hug one another when they are. You should be disappointed in a loss and exhilarated in a win. It’s all about the journey.

Hours of Operation   7:30 AM - 2:30 PM
School Colors   Purple and Gold
School Mascot   Trojans
School Uniform (shirt) Colors   White and Purple
Pants   Navy or Khaki

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Christavious “TayTay” Gill possesses one of the best long-range jump shots in all of Central Louisiana.

The Alexandria Senior High point guard is so proficient at shooting such crowd-pleasing shots, that it is not uncommon to see the 5-foot-6 senior routinely drain 3-pointers from as long as NBA range. In the team’s Class 4A quarterfinal playoff game this past season, Gill hit seven such shots.

Ironically, Gill developed his long-range shot out of necessity.

“The only advantage that I had when I was little is that I could shoot 3-pointers,” said Gill, who has been named The Town Talk’s Central Louisiana Player of the Year. “The other guys out there were either bigger or stronger than me. So I had to develop my outside shot.”

That shot helped transform Gill into one of the area’s premier point guards the past three seasons. In the past three seasons, he has averaged at least 21 points per game as the Trojans compiled an overall of record of 76-18, reaching the second round of the playoffs all three years and advancing to the quarterfinals once.

“Most of the time the guys guarding me are bigger than me,” said Gill, who has earned first-team All-Cenla honors three straight years. “That’s why early on in games I will drive past my defender to the basket. After that they are on their back feet and that gives me the separation to shoot the 3-pointer.”

“I know I may be bias,” said ASH coach Alan Tinsley, who has coached Gill all four seasons. “In my opinion he is the best point guard in the entire state.”

Gill’s success on the hardwood at ASH is not all about the separation he gets for his dangerous jump shot. His coach believes it is his work ethic that may be important than anything he possesses physically.

“The first day he came to me I brought him into my office and sat him down,” said Tinsley. “I told him that this team was going to be his. I told him that his leadership, combined with his ability, will make our team what it will be for the next four years.”

“It means a lot to me,” said Gill, who was named District 3-4A MVP this past season. “As a leader, my teammates depend on me from time to time to carry them on my back. That’s what I have tried to do for the past three years.”

Gill saved his best for last as the Trojans star had a spectacular senior season as he averaged 23.5 points, 7.2 assists and 4.5 steals per game as he led ASH. Gill scored 20 points, including two late free throws, in the 72-69 opening round win over Edna Karr. He followed that up with a 30-point performance in the team’s 78-68 victory over Vandebilt Catholic as ASH advanced to its first quarterfinal appearance since 2009.

“It was the best feeling,” said Gill, who has earned All-State honors three times, including first-team honors this past season. “We finally got past the second round of the playoffs. It felt so good to be able to celebrate that.”

Despite scoring a game-high 29 points, Gill and the Trojans came up short in the quarterfinals falling to Istrouma, 68-63.

“It didn’t hit me right afterwards,” said Gill. “It hit me when I got on the bus to come back home. I just broke down because I knew that it was the last time I would wear this jersey.”

Gill won’t be without a jersey for long though.

The ASH star, and that long-range jump shot of his, will be seen next year down in New Orleans, as the ASH star will be playing for the University of New Orleans Privateers, who are joining the Southland Conference. Gill signed with UNO during the early-signing period back in November.

“I couldn’t be more proud of him if he was my own flesh and blood,” said Tinsley. “There is nothing more thrilling than to watch someone you coach find success.”

“I’m thankful to God because if it wasn’t for him then I would have this opportunity,” said Gill.

Congratulations to UNO signee Tay Tay Gill for being select First Team All-State for Class 4-A. Congrats to Texas A&M signee (football) Shaan Washington for being selected Honorable Mention All-State Class 4-A.

Good luck to both players as they continue their academic and athletic careers. Both had great careers at ASH Hoops.

A great season of ASH Hoops is over after the bigger and more physical Istrouma eliminated the 2013 #3 power-ranked ASH Trojans from the play-offs.

Fourth year Coach Alan Tinsley and his Trojans left nothing on the floor as they clawed and fought all night long against the Baton Rouge area school prep team that earlier lost their football and baseball programs, fired the majority of their teachers, and lost 600+ students due to inadequate quality of education at the school. Istrouma will downsize to Class 2A next year but will compete as a representative of Class 4A in the Top 28 this year.

Star guard Christavious "Tay Tay" Gill scored 29 points but the larger Istrouma team out-rebounded and out-shoved the Trojans creating a favored turn-over margin that resulted in the upset of the #3 seed ASH Hoops. Gill will again see another day as he will report to New Orleans in the fall to play on the UNO Privateers basketball team. Senior Shaun Washington will go join 2012 Heisman Trophy winner Johnny "Football" at Texas A&M and ASH fans may get glimpses of him on television as they battle the LSU Tigers.

Meanwhile back at home, Coach Tinsley will retool for a rebuilding year as he continues to develop young and upcoming talent. ASH Hoops has definitely raised its' level of respect throughout the state and the Trojans will be a contender in the future. ASH however will no longer battle the Peabody Warhorses for the district title as the Trojans are moving up to Class 5A for the 2013-14 season.

ASH - 63   Istrouma - 68

In an expected tough first round play-off, it was no doubt that New Orleans-based Edna Karr played like a12 seed rather than the #30 seed it received.

From the tip-off it was tight as Karr gave the Trojans everything it could handle from breaking the press to 3-pointers. The #3 ranked fighting Trojans however had some players step their game up tonight with senior guard Carlos Carroll and senior forward Cortavious "Big Tay" Williams leading the team down the stretch. Carrol was instrumental both on the free-throw lane and driving underneath to keep the Trojans in the game while the defense of Big Tay Williams plus his offense helped Tay Tay Gill and Shawn Washington shore up Karr.  Washington had some monsterous dunks and Gill got hot at the end to seal the win by 3 points 72-69 to advance.

ASH will get a 2nd round home game when they will face #14 Vandebilt Catholic on Friday night.

All four District 3-4A teams advanced tonight with wins which shows the strength of the district with 4 of the 16 teams in round 2 from the district.

Written by Warren Hayes

Alexandria Senior High senior Christavious "Tay Tay" Gill still feels the hurtful emotion of not being able to accomplish one of his goals: helping the Trojans boys basketball team win a district title this season.

ASH lost the District 3-4A championship game to Peabody, 41-37, last Friday, and Gill is set on helping keep his teammates focused on a bigger prize -- winning the Class 4A state championship.

"The mood of the team was not good at all after we lost that district championship game," said Gill, a 5-foot-9, 160-pound shooting guard. "We just have to bounce back and stay focused on winning that state championship. Nothing else matters."

ASH boys basketball coach Alan Tinsley said Gill didn't have a good night after going 3 of 17 against Peabody.

"Don't get it confused, Tay Tay is still one of the best shooters we have," Tinsley said. "Tay Tay is a strong leader with speed and ball handles. He has pulled us out of some tough situations."

Gill, a four-year varsity starter who averages 21 points per game, considers the loss to Peabody the worst game of his career.

"That was a defensive game. We had too many chances to close the game out with a win and didn't take advantage of those chances," he said. "I was lucky to make the shots I made. It was a lot of pressure -- more pressure than I was use to but that's no excuse."

He said the best game of his career was when he scored 44 points in the team's loss to Washington Marion his junior year.

"We had the lead through the entire game and that's what we can't afford to do -- become relaxed and not put opponents away early," Gill said. "I happy about the points but angry we lost."

Gill has learned to drive to the basket more instead of relying on jump shots -- what he calls one of his strongest attributes.

"I learned to stop depending on the 3-pointer all the time," he said. "You can't get behind in game, panic and start to shoot a lot of 3-pointers, hoping you can get the lead of the game back."

"The thing I like about Tay Tay is that he's learned to make smart decisions on the court," Tinsley said. "Basketball IQ means a lot to me because when you play smart, it makes winning easy."

After a bitter-tasting loss on Monday night against the then ranked #3 Peabody Warhorses, the ASH Trojans were not harmed in the final power-rankings for the play-offs. Though a #1 seed would have been the outcome of a win, the then #2 ranked Trojans only slipped one spot to #3 and has a road to the Top 28. The Top 28, after years in the Cajun Dome in Lafayette, has moved to the Fant-Ewing Coliseum in Monroe, La.

ASH got a draw of #30 Edna Karr from the West Bank in New Orleans. ASH Hoops defeated Karr in 2009 in the regionals to advance to the quarter-finals. This year's version of Karr has a low ranking but one can quickly surmise from viewing their schedule that they're probably one of the strongest #30's since the LHSAA has gone to the power-ranking system. Karr lost close contests to private school Riverside by 3-points and lost to #2 ranked St. Thomas More by 2-points. Karr also lost to #7 ranked St. Augustine by 2 points. This team can in no form or fashion be taken lightly. Karr will come ready to play and play tough.

The Trojans will have to get more from star Christavious "Tay Tay" Gill to make a run. Gill had a flat game in the district finale and has not played up to his mid-season form throughout district. In Monday's game, it was Eddie Travis who stepped up his game scoring 13-points in the Trojans' loss with their season low 37 points.

Should the Trojans advance, the road doesn't get easier as they will face a Vandebilt/Helen Cox winner only to face a possible #6 Washington-Marion in the quarter-finals.

Click on Links and Louisiana High School Athletic Association link to access all updated brackets.

GOOD LUCK TROJANS! Let's go to Monroe!

Gabriel Jordan scored 21 points to lead Peabody to a 41-37 victory over Alexandria Senior High to clinch the District 3-4A boys basketball championship in a defensive duel Monday night before a standing-room-only crowd at ASH.

ASH senior Christavious "Tay Tay" Gill was held to eight points -- a pivotal factor in the Trojans' loss.

Guards Jeff Sibley and Roderick Tennie, who are defensive specialists for Peabody, combined to frustrate the usually sensational Gill.

Eddie Travis led ASH with 13 points as ASH, ranked fifth in the LSWA Class 4A poll and third in the LHSAA Class 4A state power rankings, slipped to 26-5 overall and 8-2 in district.

Peabody, ranked second in the state power rankings and first in the LSWA Class 4A poll, improved to 26-5 and 9-1.

The Warhorses, who won the first-round league match between the two powers at Peabody, 54-53, built a 10-point lead at 37-27 about midway through the fourth quarter, but ASH whittled away at the lead with a full-court press with an 8-2 run that was nonetheless marred by several missed opportunities.

Trailing by just 39-37 after a follow shot by Cortavious Williams, the Trojans could not take advantage of consecutive missed free throws by Jordan when Williams fired an air-ball from the corner over the basket.

Jordan got a chance to shoot two more free throws with 26.8 seconds left and hit them both for the final margin.

Travis Jenkins missed a 3 on ASH's next-to-last possession, and Gill missed a desperation 3-pointer while trying to get fouled, as the buzzer sounded.

ASH coach Alan Tinsley was slapped with a technical foul with 5:36 remaining, arguing about inconsistency of foul calls, getting more angry and animated as he protested.

During ASH's mini-run, Gill missed a shot after a steal by Washington, and J.D. Williams fired an air ball after a steal by Cortavious Williams. Later, Gill missed another shot, and after a steal by Williams, Gill again missed.

Yet again, ASH got the ball back but threw the ball out of bounds, missing another opportunity.

Peabody led 10-7 after the first quarter, 23-20 at halftime and led 30-27 after three quarters.

Shaan Washington had three blocked shots in the first quarter, and ASH suffered a team technical foul in the second period because J.D. Williams, who had just made a 3-pointer, didn't have his name in the scorebook.

Written by Warren Hayes The Town Talk

The pain shot through Bolton High basketball coach Fred Eloi's chest every time Alexandria Senior High basketball players shot behind the 3-point line.

Eloi watched as his team couldn't defend the 3-pointers coming from the Trojans in ASH's 74-39 win Friday night at Bolton High in Alexandria.

ASH's victory set the stage for its game at home Monday night against Peabody, which was upset by Leesville, 68-57, Friday. Both teams have one district loss, so Monday's game will decide the league championship.

"Everything we worked for comes down to this moment," Tinsley said. "We are prepared to be crowned district champions."

Meanwhile, ASH's dominance and its strategies didn't surprise Bolton Friday.

"They didn't do anything we didn't expect them to do," Eloi said. "We tried to play man defense against them and we failed on that. Those 3-pointers were like daggers in my chest. This district is only going to get harder."

The Trojans, 26-4 overall, 8-1 in District 3-4A and ranked No. 3 in the LHSAA power rankings, made 5 of 8 three pointers. Bolton's Bears (12-12, 1-7) made three of seven 3-pointers.

Trojans basketball coach Alan Tinsley said his team is full of three-point specialists.

"We have players that can shoot all over the floor," said Tinsley, whose team has a big rematch against league-leading Peabody at ASH Monday night. "We needed to win this game because our eye is on that district title. We take no opponents lightly."

Christavious "Tay Tay" Gill led ASH with 13 points on a night when he passed more often than he shot, and Shaan Washington added 11 points for the Trojans.

ASH's Eddie Travis scored the first bucket with with a 3-pointer, but Bolton's Ken Casey later hit a 3-pointer to tie the score 6-6. Casey led Bolton with 11 points.

Another of ASH's 3-pointers came from Cortavious Williams in the first quarter, when ASH led 22-10. Casey got his last 3-pointer with 2:32 left in the first.

"We tried to keep up with them in the 3-point shooting," Eloi said. "It just didn't work." Gill, who usually hits several 3's in a game, made his only 3-pointer in the second quarter after Bolton's Donovan Thomas missed a layup.

ASH played at a much slower tempo than it is accustomed against its unmatched opponent.

"We have what it takes to win that district title," Gill said. "We have a tough district. If we continue to play tough defense, we can get that district title."

The second quarter is when the Trojans showed their physical dominance. Washington, a Texas A&M football commitment, scored the first points of the second quarter with a monstrous dunk after a pass from Gill.

"Shaan is a big guy, and it also helps when your guy plays football," Tinsley said. "Shaan can move around in the paint with ease."

ASH's Travis Jenkins made his lone 3-pointer in the second quarter.

"We switched to playing man defense," Eloi said. "Like I said, they didn't do anything we haven't already seen. We have one senior in Logan Barton. We're young and just need to improve.

The #3 ranked ASH Trojans continues its' run in district handily defeated the #10 ranked Leesville Wampus Cats on Tuesday night. The Trojans again got a slow start in the first quarter trailing 15-10 but quickly took control in the 2nd quarter and outscored the Cats 21-10 and lead 31-25 at the half. The Trojans lead after 3 by 10 points 51-41 and cruised to a nice 13-point victory 74-61.

ASH Hoops record goes to 25-4 overall and 7-1 in district with two games remaining. After Bolton on Friday night, the District Championship could well be decided Tuesday night when they host Peabody. Peabody remains ranked at #2 just one slot above the Trojans but a win for the Trojans and a district championship could more than certainly boost the Trojans to a #1 seed. A #1 seed has the most advantageous position in the playoffs with the easiest road to the Top 28.

TWO ASH HOOPSTERS SIGN COLLEGE FOOTBALL COMMITTMENTS:

Congratulations to seniors Shaan Washington and Carlos Carroll who both signed football scholarships today at ASH. Washington will play next year with the Heisman Trophy winner at Texas A&M. Carroll will play at McNeese State University in Lake Charles. These two Trojans join Charles Firmin who committed to play kicker on the Louisiana College Football team next year.

In the early signing period, Christavious "Tay Tay" Gill signed to play basketball for the University of New Orleans aka UNO.

Written by

Raymond A. Partsch III

Alan Tinsley's gamble paid off.

The Alexandria Senior High boys basketball coach made a crucial decision in Tuesday night's home game against District 3-4A rival Tioga High.

Late in the third period, Tinsley opted to sit two of his stars, Christavious "TayTay" Gill and Shaan Washington. The veteran coach believed that he needed his two seniors to be fresh late in the game, to help the Trojans secure a key district victory.

"It's always a cost and effect situation," said Tinsley, whose team is 23-4 overall and 5-1 in district play. "The cost was that they were going to make a run on us. The effect was that my guys had a little more energy at the end."

The gamble paid off as both Gill and Washington made key plays in the final minutes of Tuesday's 55-52 victory.

"With the game being close like it was and being a leader on this team, I didn't want to come out of the game," said Gill, who paced ASH with 16 points. "At first it hurt us, but at the end, it paid off and we got the win."

The game started off in back-and-forth fashion as both teams traded spectacular score after another. After blocking Tioga's first shot, ASH's Washington quickly scored giving the Trojans a 2-0 lead. Tioga answered as junior Martin Ramirez hit the first of his three first-quarter three pointers.

ASH's Gill hit a nice fade away shot but Tioga's Terrance Cobb then split two defenders for a shot off the glass. ASH's Eddie Travis drained a three-pointer but Tioga's Ramirez answered with a deep ball of his own.

The two teams continued to trade blows but the Trojans would end the first period on a 10-2 run, and held a 21-13 lead.

"I felt like we had to come out and play hard," said Gill "We couldn't afford to be dragging our feet from our last game. We couldn't afford to do that against Tioga."

Late in the second, ASH seemed to be in control as Washington's turnaround jumper gave the Trojans a 27-22 lead. That is when Tioga made its run as Cobb hit a three-pointer to cut the lead to two. The Indians' junior star guard then faked out his defender and scored again, tying the game at 27, and at the break, ASH led, 29-27.

Tioga began the third quarter on a 6-0 run but ASH then went on a 4-0 run to tie the game. The two teams kept fighting back and forth but the Indians ended the quarter with fury. With Gill and Washington on the bench, Tioga closed the third on an 8-3 run and led 43-38.

"I think we had some residual hangover from Friday's game," said Tinsley, speaking about the team's 54-53 defeat at Peabody last Friday. "We usually don't get tired but tonight we showed a little fatigue and had to get my guys some rest."

"We watched the tape from the last game," said Brasher on his team's 63-58 loss to ASH earlier this season. "Besides the last two and half minutes of that game, we felt that we outplayed them. We felt if we came in with that same game plain that we could get the win."

Tioga extended its lead to six points in the fourth after Avery Lewis's two-point bucket with 3:54 left. After a free throw by Washington, ASH cut the lead to two points after Gill drained a three-pointer with 3:21 left.

A few moments later, Gill hit a floater which tied the game at 50, and the Trojans took the lead after Washington made one of two from the line. Tioga's Cobb tried to pass the ball across the court but it was stolen and Washington scored down low. ASH held a 53-50 lead with less than two minutes to go.

After Ramirez's three pointer missed the mark, ASH's Carlos Carroll had a chance to put the game away at the free throw line. The senior, though, missed both of his free throws giving Tioga a chance to tie the game.

Tioga's Joseph McQuarn dribbled the ball up court but lost the handle. The ball bounced off an ASH player and with 6.9 seconds left, Tioga had a last chance to force overtime, but Ramirez's three from the left wing was no good.

"I was proud of our guys tonight," said Brasher, whose team falls to 22-5 overall and 2-4 in district play. "It was a really good game and both teams played hard throughout. They just made more plays than we did."

"There are certain games that either the coach, the players or both have to will themselves to win," said Tinsley. "We had to will ourselves to win tonight."

GIRLS

ASH 50, Tioga 20: The Alexandria Senior High girls cruised to their fifth District 3-4A win of the season on Tuesday night.

ASH (16-8, 5-1) was in control for all of the game and had a balanced offensive attack. The Lady Trojans had three players score in double digits as Christina Roque led all scorers with 15 points, while Ariel Eldridge added 12 and Kayla Morgan chipped in 10 points.

Brittany Rogers paced Tioga (3-21, 0-6) with 10 points as the Lady Indians lost their 10th straight contest.

The #3 ranked ASH Hoops squeezed by a pesky Tioga Indian team that continues to believe that they can defeat the Trojans. ASH was in control at the end of the first quarter with a 21-13 lead on their way to what seemed a route of the Indians. The Tioga band of Indians though outscored the Trojans 30-17 in the next 2 quarters to garner a 5-point lead 43-38 at the end of three.

However, the pressure defense continued and the Trojans finally started getting some inside plays to regain the lead with 2:01 remaining in the game. With a 51-50 lead there was not much scoring in the last 2 minutes as both team tried to slow down and get good shots. Tay Tay Gill and Shaan Washington got some key baskets to seal the win to start the 2nd half of district play.

With the loss to Peabody on Friday, the Trojans only slipped one spot to #3 in today's LHSAA power-rankings. Peabody who was at #4 leaped to #1 by defeated the then ranked #2 Trojans. With the Trojans picked to win the home game against Peabody, the positions should be flip-flopped again with ASH likely leaping back in the #1 spot. The Peabody game is the last regular season game.

So so close. Regardless of how strong the ASH Trojans have become, it proves to be extremely difficult to go into the Emerald Palace and come out with a win. The Trojans favored to win district was handed the first district loss tonight against the Warhorses 54-53.

While the Trojans continue to refuse to be intimidated by the strong history of state and district championships at the Emerald Palace, the officials seem to always succumb to the pressure and intimidation of the crowd and the coaches. In another close game, the Trojans had it to win but some critical calls down the stretch were just enough to push the Trojans out of the victory column. However, the Warhorses still have to play at Trojan gym which will be for the district championship. The Trojans will be picked to win with home court advantage and the championship will be determined on a neutral court, likely Louisiana College West Fieldhouse.

The Trojans still have some work to do though. Tioga and Leesville will also travel to Trojan gym and will not go down easy. ASH has home court advantage from here forward. It is still going to be the YEAR OF THE TROJAN! GO ASH! WIN!

The ASH Trojans moved ahead keeping their district record unblemished easily defeating the Bolton Bears by the score of 95-53. ASH has one game remaining in the first half of district playing Friday night against the #4 ranked Peabody Warhorses. Both ASH and Peabody are tied for 1st place in district with records of 4-0. ASH has the upperhand being the higher ranked team at #2 versus the #4 Warhorses. The trends are usually reversed but the Trojans have put together a record-setting year presently at 22-3 with solid wins against some of the highest ranked teams in the state. ASH held the #1 ranking for 1 week but slipped to #2 this week behind a Trojan defeated St. Thomas More Cougars. ASH defeated the Cougars for their own tournament championship in the fall.

There is little doubt that the winner of District 3-4A will be the #1 seed going into the playoffs. With four of the district's teams in the TOP 10, beating these opponents will boost their power rankings. Should ASH win at Peabody on Friday, the defeat of the #4 team will boost the #2 Trojans back into the #1 spot that they will likely hold on to until defeated.

These times are getting exciting........

It's official! ASH is # 1!

In today's LHSAA's power-ranking, the Alexandria Senior High Trojan basketball team is power-ranked #1 in the state for Class 4-A. ASH currently at 19-3 is leading the state and 3 other district teams are in the TOP 10. ASH is sitting at #1 when they defeated the currently ranked #4 Tioga Indians with an amazing 16-point comeback with 4-minutes left in the game.

Coach Tinsley's team is in about as good position as a coach could hope for this deep in the season. However, ASH is not in a weak district with Tioga ranked at #4, Peabody #5, and Leesville at #10. Winning District 3-4A will almost certainly set up a #1 ranking for the playoffs which gives the district champion the easiest road to Lafayette.

In critical games this week (which every week remaining is critical), ASH will travel to Grant tonight and travel to Leesville on Friday. Peabody will travel to Tioga this Friday. With a certain two more losses handed to TOP 10 teams, shifting in power-rankings will occur this week. ASH could stand to increase their power-ranking lead with wins this week since Leesville is currently at 19-2. #10 Leesville (19-2) hosts #4-Tioga (20-2) tonight.

ASH vs St Augustine 

Christavious Gill               33

Carlos Carroll                  12

Cortavious Williams         10

Eddie Travis                    9

Shaan Washington           6

ASH vs St. Thomas Moore          36-35

Shaan Washington           10

Carlos Carroll                  7

Eddie Travis                    7

Christavious Gill              7

Julian Castenade             3

Cortavious Williams         2

ASH vs Rapides                79-39

Christavious Gill              21

Jadarius Williams             14

Carlos Carroll                  10

Eddie Travis                    9

Shaan Washington           8

Julian Castenade             6

Cortavious Williams         4

Tavis Jenkins                   3

Pete Lemons                   3

DJ Chark                         1

ASH vs Pineville               73-49

Shaan Washington           27

Christavious Gill              21

Carlos Carroll                  6

Pete Lemons                   5

Matthew Beck                  4

Tavis Jenkins                   3

Cortavious Williams         3

DJ Chark                          2

A change of schedule has occurred. The game scheduled for Tuesday, 1/15/13 scheduled for ASH has been changed to Grant High School.

In return the game scheduled for 2/1/13 at Grant has been changed to Thursday night 1/31/13 at ASH.

Written by Bob Tompkins The Town Talk

TIOGA -- Third-ranked Alexandria Senior High went into the furnace of a 16-point deficit with about five minutes remaining and, thanks to its senior leadership, emerged stronger to prevail Friday over fourth-ranked Tioga, 63-58, in a District 3-4A boys basketball showdown at Tioga High.

Senior guard Christavious "Tay Tay" Gill led the way for the Trojans with 31 points -- 12 in the final four minutes.

Tioga owned a 52-36 lead after staging a 19-2 run that had the home crowd frothing, but the visiting Trojans answered with a 14-3 run down the stretch to for a 60-55 lead and secured the triumph with help from a Tioga technical foul for having six players on the floor in the final seconds.

"You don't get too many of those kinds of victories, where you come back from 16 down late in the game," said ASH coach Alan Tinsley, whose squad improved to 19-3 with its successful opening game in District 3-4A against a Tioga team that lost for only the second time in 22 games.

"I'm so thrilled at the caliber of victory this was," Tinsley said. "This game was so huge, not only from a statewide perspective but, more important, from a district perspective."

The only other double-digit scorer for ASH was Cortavious Williams with 10 points.

Junior guard Martin Ramirez led Tioga with 20 points, but scored only six in the second half. Junior Terrance Cobb added 18 points, and lanky junior Aaron Epps added 12 for a team whose only previous loss was a 55-51 setback to Class 4A power Washington-Marion in late November and had since won 16 straight games.

"It's just young guys, and it showed," said Tioga coach Lance Brasher. "He has eight seniors and we have seven juniors. Experience took over, especially in the last four minutes. We had a 16-point lead and couldn't close."

Cobb, Epps and Antoine Robertson, Tioga's lone senior, sparked Tioga's second-half run while ASH went flat in its shooting, missing outside and even inside shots on putback attempts by Shaan Washington, when he wasn't sitting with three fouls by halftime, and Williams.

A highlight of ASH's comeback was its turning point. Gill hit a 3 to pull the Trojans within 55-54, then a scrambling, falling, tap-back steal by the Trojans was recovered by Gill, who raced down court, and weaved through traffic in the lane for a magical bank-in with a foul.

He converted for a three-point play and a 57-55 lead, and the Trojans never looked back.

Ramirez hit a 3 to pull Tioga within 60-58, but the technical foul for too many players with 10.2 ticks left contributed to the final margin.

It was, perhaps, fortunate for Tioga that ASH won by four instead of two since the Trojans' first two points came from Gill on a technical foul because of a player's illegal dunk in pre-game warm-ups.

"We just didn't play well, except for about four or five minutes," lamented Brasher. "When we were going good with the crowd behind us, it don't get no better than that."

The ASH Trojans on it's way to getting it's 19th win opened district play at Tioga facing the #4 power-ranked team in the state. ASH started off well holding a two-point lead at the end of the first two quarters. However, center Shaan Washington got into foul trouble early and didn't play much of the 2nd quarter on some tight officiating.

The Indians came out in the 3rd quarter playing steady and the ASH Trojans kept throwing up bricks that just couldn't find the basket. Tioga gained a lead and was ahead 44-36 at the end of the third. Things didn't go any better when the Indians continued their momentum into the 4th quarter leading by as much as 16-points (52-36) before the Mighty Trojans begin turning it around. The #3 ranked Trojans, no stranger to adversity, kicked up the intensity and it paid off as the Trojans overcame the deficit and recaptured the lead with 1:28 left to play 57-55. ASH outscored the Indians 27-6 in the last 4 minutes of the game.

UNO signee Christavious "Tay Tay" Gill turned it on and scored 12 points in the last 4 minutes to regain the lead. Gill scored 31-points and was the game leading scorer. Big Man Cortavious "Big Tay" Williams was the only other ASH scorer in double-digits with 10-points, none more critical than his clutch free-throws down the stretch.

The Trojans opened up the lead as Carlos Carroll sank 2 free throws to go up by 4, 59-55. Tay Tay Gill shot a couple of technical free throws when the Indians tried to slip in 6 players, and Shaan Washington made 1-2 free throws to seal the game.

ASH will host Grant on Tuesday night.

ASH - 63    Tioga - 58

Christavious Gill              28

Eddie Travis                    10

Cortavious Williams         9

Carlos Carroll                  6

Shaan Washington           7

Jadarius Williams             3

Sam Houston Tourney

ASH vs Acadiana    73-50

       Player                       PTS.

Shaan Washington           30

Christavious Gill              19

Carlos Carroll                  8

Jadarrius Williams           6

Cortavious Williams         6

Eddie Travis                    4

ASH vs Sulphur       67-53

Christavious Gill              28

Shaan Washington           23

Cortavious Williams         6

Eddie Travis                    4

Tavis Jenkins                   3

Carlos Carroll                  2

Jadarrius Williams           1

ASH vs Deridder     65-36

Eddie Travis                    19

Shaan Washington           15

Carlos Carroll                  12

Christavious Gill              9

Tavis Jenkins                   5

Jadarius Williams             3

Cortavious Williams         2

ASH vs Pineville      67-36

Christavious Gill              18

Shaan Washington           13

Carlos Carroll                  9

Eddie Travis                    8

Julian Castenade             7

Cortavious Williams         5

Jadarius Williams             3

Pete Lemons                   2

Delton Lawton                 2

ASH vs Bossier       49-51

Christavious Gill              22

Shaan Washington           11

Eddie Travis                    5

Cortavious Williams         5

Carlos Carroll                  3

Tavis Jenkins                   3

ASH vs Opelousas   65-68

Christavious Gill              17

Shaan Washington           11

Carlos Carroll                  9

Cortavious Williams         9

Matthew Beck                  6

Tavis Jenkins                   5

Eddie Travis                    5

Jadarius Williams             3

ASH vs Warren Eastern     81-44

Christavious Gill              21

Shaan Washington           20

DJ Chark                         14

Eddie Travis                     13

X’stavious Dorty              8

Cortavious Williams         3

Caleb Hebert                    2

ASH vs Mandeville            58-33

Eddie Travis                    14

Christavious Gill              12

Shaan Washington           11

Cortavious Williams         8

Carlos Carroll                  7

Julian Castenade             6

The 18-3 ASH Trojans got their final warm-up before beginning district play next Friday night. The Pineville Rebels visited the Trojan Gym tonight and gave a hard fight but were no match for the powerful #3 ranked Trojans losing by 24-points by a final score of 73-49.

ASH again started slow in the first quarter only outscoring the Rebels 18-13. But by the half the lead expanded to 18 points 42-24 with some aggressive defense and some good aggressive offense. The 3-pointers really never starting dropping tonight so the Trojans depended on power plays around the rim and tough rebounding. The Trojans will have a week of rest before travelling to Tioga next Friday to face the #5 one-loss Indians.

Written by Raymond A. Partsch III The Town Talk

LECOMPTE -- Alan Tinsley had become frustrated with his basketball team.

After starting off the season 12-1, Alexandria Senior High lost back-to-back games right before the Christmas break. Even though the two losses were by a combined five points, the veteran basketball coach was displeased with the Trojans' effort and, more important, their focus in the defeats to Bossier and Opelousas.

"I was frustrated after those two losses but those losses have served us well," said Tinsley. "As a coach you don't mind the losses, as long as your team carries the lessons from those losses with them the rest of the season. So far this team has done just that."

Since then, ASH has been on a roll winning four straight games, including wins over defending Class 4A runner-up St. Augustine and St. Thomas More, the same team that knocked out ASH in the second round of the playoffs last season.

That hot streak continued on Thursday night as ASH cruised to a 79-39 victory over Rapides High School.

"We have been playing good ever since we lost those two games in a row," said ASH senior point guard Christavious "TayTay" Gill, who led all scorers with 18 points. "Coach got on to us about how we were playing, and since then we have been working hard every single day to get better."

After building up a 17-9 lead at the end of the first quarter, ASH (17-3) took over the game with a dominating second quarter. In that period, the Trojans would outscore the Mustangs 29-5 and ended the half with a 46-14 lead. ASH would also outrebound Rapides 35-16 in the first half.

"After coming off a tournament like we did, as a coach you expect not to be as sharp as you would like," said Tinsley, whose team fell one point short of scoring at least 80 points for the sixth time this season. "I'm glad we had this game tonight to help clean things up before district play begins."

"Those first few possessions they missed their shots but we didn't block out," said Rapides High coach Travis Broussard, whose team was held to a season low 39 points. "That set the tempo for the rest of the game."

The ASH Trojans coming off a third tournament championship in as many tournaments played at Rapides High School tonight. The Class B powerhouse was no match tonight for the #3 ranked Trojans as they tamed the wild Mustangs by 40-points.

ASH only held a 17-9 lead by the end of the first quarter but turned up the heat in the 2nd expanding the lead to 32, 46-14. ASH Hoops continued the pressure in the 3rd expanding the lead to 42 points by the end of the 3rd 65-23. The bench did a good job of keeping the pressure and scored 14 points to 16 for the Mustangs in the 4th.

ASH will face the cross-river Pineville Rebels tomorrow night at home. Though the Rebels are not having much success this year on the hardwood, they always give the Trojans a run for their money.

District play begins next Friday night when the Trojans travel to Tioga to face the #5 ranked 4A team. With 4 teams in the Top 10 of the Class 4A power-rankings, District 3-4A again proves to be one of the toughest districts in the state.

Current Class 4A rankings: (1/3/2013)

1. Peabody
2. OP Walker
3. Alexandria
4. St. Thomas More
5. Tioga
6. Washington-Marion
7. Northside
8. Leesville
9. Opelousas
10. East Jefferson

In typical St. Thomas More style of play, the homecourt Cougars managed to hold down the scoring and made the Trojans play a slow-down tempo basketball game that kept it close. However, the Trojans came out on top with a 36-33 win en route to their 3rd tournament championship of the season.

Seniors Shaan Washington and Christavious "Tay Tay" Gill both received All Tournament awards and Tay Tay Gill was awarded the MVP of the tournament. Congratulations to all the Trojans for great tournament coming out on top out of 16 teams.

After a break for New Years the Trojans will have only 2 non-district games before district competition begins. The Trojans seem to be hitting their stride at the right time.

The Mighty ASH Trojans are making a statement on the verge of winning another Southwestern Louisiana Prep tournament. After winning the Teurlings Catholic tourney and the Sam Houston tourney, the ASH Hoops team are in the finals of the 16-team prestigious St. Thomas More Sunkist Classic.

ASH faced what seems to be some of the toughest opponents in the state. Even though they're playing in the Southwestern region of the state, they've beaten three southeastern/New Orleans area teams to get to the finals. After blowing out both Warren Easton and Mandeville, the Trojans knew they had their work cut out for them with the private Catholic All-black New Orleans garden district team. With a school full of quality athletes, the ASH Trojan football team had no luck in losing big the St. Augustine football team that boats a LSU-signee running back. The basketball team had some size that the Trojans had  to contend with with a 6'6", 6'7", and 6'8" front court. But the Trojans managed to get to overtime and took a commanding 7-point win with a final of 71-64.

ASH will play in the finals tomorrow night at 7 PM against the host St. Thomas More Cougars.  It will be tough game on the home court.  More details to follow.....

After suffering two consecutive losses to end their 12-game winning streak, the ASH Trojans have once again found their rhythm winning the first two games of the St. Thomas More Sunkist Shootout in Lafayette.

Apparently the Christmas dinner has bode well with the Trojans as they faced Warren Easton just one day after Christmas and followed up with Mandeville to gain a semi-final position in the 16-team Sunkist Shootout at St. Thomas More High School.

ASH Hoops faced Warren Easton on Wednesday but did have a run of the flu that kept all but four varsity players from playing. That gave the opportunity to some young junior varsity players that stepped up and took the opportunity to give Coach Tinsley a glimpse of the future. ASH had no trouble defeating Easton by 37, 81-44.

ASH faced a tougher Mandeville (11-4) team that had just beat Teurlings Catholic (11-4) on Wednesday. Mandeville kept it close for a half with the Trojans leading by two at the break 27-25. However, the defense stepped it up a knotch and only allowed Mandeville to score 8-points in the entire second half on route to a 25-point victory 58-33.

ASH moves to 14-3 and will play in the semi-finals on Friday night at 8:00 PM.

After the ASH Trojans began the season with a loss to North Caddo by 2-points, they whipped up 12-consecutive wins on route to two consecutive tournament championships. That streak was halted tonight by the 2012 Class 4-A State Runner-ups as Bossier rode into town and displayed some very disciplined and well-coached basketball.

ASH started the game with a zeal and led the Bossier team after 1 quarter 17-11. Bossier put it together in the 2nd quarter and took the lead 30-24 going into the locker room outscoring the Trojans 19-7. Coach Tinsley made some adjustments and the Trojans came out in the 3rd and regained the lead with 2:56 left on a Tay Tayl Gill 3-pointer to pull ahead 38-36. After Carlos Carroll hit 1 of 2 free throws Gill again hit a 3 to extend to 42-36. That lead was quickly cut to 2 points but ASH still led at the end of 3 by a score of 42-40. The Bossier team displayed some excellent ball movement and sharp shooting but could only pull ahead by the Trojans missing several under-the-bucket driving layups and some key free throws down the stretch. The Trojans had a chance to win with a 3 or tie with 2 in the last 15.6 seconds but could not connect on a trey by Gill and a follow-up off a rebound.

ASH falls to 12-2 on the season and travels to Opelousas on Tuesday.

ASH Hoops had little trouble quickly disposing of the river-rival Rebels in Pineville tonight.

ASH was slow to begin scoring in the 1st quarter but quickly built up a 18-point lead by the half 38-20.

ASH continued the scoring holding the Rebels to 7 points in the 3rd quarter and scoring 22 points to spread to a 33-point lead. The 2nd and 3rd string got some good playing time in the 4th quarter and kept the lead to 31 points getting the Trojans their 12th win of the season of the 13 games played thus far. The #4-power ranked Trojans will host the Bossier 2012 state runner-ups on Friday night in the Trojan Gym.

ASH Hoops playing a NBA schedule of 9 games in the last 14 days has just won their second consecutive tournament.

ASH won the Teurlings Catholic tournament last weekend defeating a large Northside team in the finals making that the 5th game of the week. (ASH won the tournament in 2008 and place 3rd in 2010). The Trojans then followed that week with another 4-game week traveling to Shreveport on Tuesday to defeat Captain Shreve and then to Lafayette 3 consecutive days to win the Sam Houston "Battle at the Bluffs" that ASH Hoops could rename "Blow-outs at the Bluffs".

ASH defeated Acadiana who just came off a solid 10-point win over #1 power-ranked St. Thomas More by a margin of 21 points. 71-50. ASH initially had a little trouble with Sulphur but put together a strong 2nd half to get a 14-point margin of victory, 67-53. ASH finished the tournament undefeated and beat usually strong DeRidder by 29-points, 65-36.

After travelling from north Louisiana to south Louisiana, ASH will remain close home this week and only play two games for a much deserved rest. ASH will travel to Pineville on Tuesday night to face an always tough opponent against the Class 5-A Rebels and then host power-house Bossier on Friday night. Bossier won the Class 4-A State Championship in 2011, runner-up in 2009 and was runner-up in 2012 losing to Peabody. The ASH-Bossier game will be yet another good test of the Trojans power playing this well-coached Bossier team.

Thurs. 12/6    3:30 PM     ASH v. Acadiana

Fri.       12/7   8:00 PM     ASH v. Sulphur

Sat.      12/8   6:30 PM     ASH v. DeRidder

After a week of winning last week that included a signature win against Northside in the finals of the Teurlings Catholic Championship game, the Trojans headed north to Shreveport to face Captain Shreve. The Trojans were ready to start the week on a high note and began this week with a win.

Sr. Shaan Washington led the scoring with 20 points and four other Trojans scoring in double digits. The other big man Big Tay Williams scored a season high 18 points. Carlos Carroll had 17, JD Williams-16 and Tay Tay Gill with 10 points.

ASH will begin the Sam Houston tournament tomorrow hoping to make another run for a championship.

ASH-85   Capt. Shreve-71

ASH Trojans has won the Teurlings Tournament Championship in dramatic fashion handing Northside of Lafayette its' first loss of the season 46-44. Playing the 4th game in 4 days and the 5th game of the week, the Trojans showed no fatigue as they handled the larger Northside team. UNO signee Tay Tay Gill put on a shooting exhibition in the first half lighting it up beyond the arc.  The Trojans led by 5 at the half. Northside would not go down easy as they put a box and one on Gill to slow him down but senior Shaan Washington took over the second half. Washington put the game on ice with two clutch free throws at the end to clinch the win and the championship.

ASH gets its' 7th consecutive win after opening the season with a loss to go to 7-1. Coach Tinsley was extremely pleased with the efforts tonight and was proud that the Trojsns showed its' grit tonight. "I knew this was going to be a tough one but it was a real good win for the young season."

ASH will travel to Shreveport on Tuesday to face Captain Shreve and then compete in the Sam Houston Tournament in Lake Charles next weekend.

TOURNAMENT RECAP:

ASH Hoops has gotten off to a good start breezing its' way to the finals of the competitive Teurlings Catholic Tournment in Lafayette, La.

ASH has always done well in the tournament winning 1st in 2008, placing 4th in 2009, and placing 3rd in 2010. In Game 1 on Wednesday night disposing of West St. Mary 87-31, a 56 point margin of victory. ASH followed Thursday night with Cecilia winning 62-33, a 29 point margin. On Friday night in the semi-finals, ASH met the toughest opponent thus far of the tournament, host Teurlings Catholic. Teurlings came into the game with a 7-0 record facing the Trojans. The Trojans played some of the best hoops of the young season and made the task at hand seem like a walk in the park handing the host team a 38-point defeat. Final score: ASH-79   TC-41.

The ASH Trojans will face a very tough and talented Northside of Lafayette tonight in the finals at 6 PM. Playing its' 4th game in as many days and 5th game of the week, ASH must dig deep to hang tonight.

By: Bob Tompkins (The Town Talk) 

Alexandria Senior High and Beau Chene, two Class 4A regional playoff basketball teams last season that have essentially the same teams back, including a major college signee for each squad, clashed at ASH Monday night, with the Trojans coming out on top with a 58-44 win.

Christavious "Tay-Tay" Gill, a University of New Orleans signee, led ASH with 19 points -- 14 in the first half, when the Trojans built a 33-19 lead.

Dominic Jackson, a Louisiana Tech signee, scored only four points for Beau Chene.

Shaan Washington, who has committed to play football at Texas A&M, played his first basketball game for ASH since the spring of 2011, having missed all of last season with a shoulder injury. He scored only six points and finished with four fouls, but he had four blocked shots, four steals and several rebounds.

Washington ignited the wildest outburst from the home crowd -- all packed in to the lower tier of seats since the second tier renovation work is incomplete -- when he slammed home a thunderous dunk with 2:43 remaining to put ASH in front 54-40.

"I was letting out some frustration," said Washington, who struggled with his shooting touch. "I wanted to get everybody hyped. "It's great to be back. When I'm on the court, it feels like there's nothing I can't do."

Jamal Chevis led Beau Chene in scoring with 15 points, and Thomas Guilbeau, who was nursing painful cramps after the game, added 10 points, with only two after the break.

ASH led by 15 twice in the second quarter, but Beau Chene cut the lead to eight early in the second half, with help from two 3-pointers and another outside shot before Washington stopped the bleeding with a blocked shot and a driving layup to trigger an 11-5 ASH run to the end of the third period.

"That was a hard-fought victory," ASH coach Alan "The Whistler" Tinsley said afterwards. "We played them at their place last year and it was pretty much a miracle we won, and they've got the same team back, so we knew they'd be hunting revenge.

"That should be a top-10 4A team, no doubt about it," he said, nevertheless taking pride in his team's carrying out his defensive plan to "contain" Jackson and Guilbeau, preventing them from "getting in the lane."

The ASH girls won their game, 54-12, with Kayla Morgan leading the way with 18 points.

After opening the season in the Thanksgiving Natcitoches Central tournament and going 1-1, ASH opened at home tonight with a win against a scrappy Beau Chen. With a solid at half-time, ASH went on to a 58-44 win to go to 2-1 on the season. ASH opened the season with a close one losing to a very talented North Caddo 84-82 in a shoot-out. ASH then beat the host team defeating Natchitoches Central 64-45.

ASH will travel to Teurlings Catholic on Wednesday to play against some of the best teams in southwest Louisiana.

ASH-58  Beau Chene-44

Senior shooting guard Christavious Gill has signed with the University of New Orleans Privateers. UNO is located on banks of Lake Ponchatrain in New Orleans, La. UNO undergoing financial difficulty in recent years made the decision to change their athletic division from Division I to Division III. D-III athletics are not allowed to give athletic scholarships and have much less costly restrictions for competition. However, before that came to fruition a generous donor came forward and made it possible for the Privateers to remain in Div. I.

Gill who averaged over 20 points per game in 2011-12 is set to lead the Trojans this year for another successful season. Gill will be joining another ASH Trojan former strong forward Corey Blake.

CONTGRATULATIONS TO TAY TAY TILL AND HIS FAMILY!!!

ASH girls and ASH boys are both set to play in the jamboree at Peabody "Emerald Palace" on Thursday night (11/15/12). The girls are slated to play Bolton at 6:00 PM and face Peabody at 6:50 PM.

The boys will place at 7:30 versus Bolton and 8:15 versus Peabody.

Admission is $6.

ASH Hoops played Zachary last Saturday night at La. College in the Cenla Shoot-out. The Trojans looked strong building a 26-point lead by the half 46-20. The Trojans went on to defeat Zachary by over 30 points. The Hall of Fame game did not count in the official record.

In a "Hall of Fame" set of games which do not count on official records, several Cenla teams are in competition in the Cenla Shoot-out to be held at West Fieldhouse at Louisiana College.

ASH Hoops is set to play at 7:00 PM this Saturday evening November 10, 2012. Other local teams in action are Tioga, Pineville, and Bolton.

The schedule has been loaded in HANDOUTS section for the 2012-13 ASH Hoops schedule. The print-out schedule includes all games for Boys and Girls including freshmen, jr. varsity, and varsity games. Print your schedule out today to follow the Trojans.

Head Coach Alan Tinsley in his 4th season at the helm, is presiding over one of the most historic runs in hoops history at ASH. ASH Hoops began to turn around in 2007 and has been developed into one of the leading prep programs in the state. ASH Hoops are mentioned in state playoffs and championship contenders each every year. The ASH teams have not shunned any of the storied programs throughout the state travelling both north and south to face some of the stiffest competition in the south.

Returning this year are two key players in college prospects Christavious "Tay" Gill and Shaun Washington. Both starters in their fresmen seasons, Gill and Washington are beginning the season with a wealth of experience and stand to again put the Trojans in contention for a championship. Coach Tinsley has a good group of supporting athletes that would be the star players for many other high schools. The athletic team that is filling the 2012-13 roster is nothing short on talent. Again for the season ASH is faced with some of the best competition that will test them early. Coach Tinsley has full confidence that they will pass the tests.

CAPTIAL IMPROVEMENTS: The ASH facilities continues to improve in the athletic arena and basketball is no exception. New bleachers and coloring scheme gives the ASH Gym a facelift that gives it a more modern look and asthetic. All lockers have been totally refurbished and upgraded. The Girls locker rooms are in progress of remodeling for the new season.