DALTON, Ga. — Jeff McKinney knows he’s been fortunate. He has seen many players come and go in his 10 years as the Dalton High School girls’ basketball coach, but there has been minimum turnover at the most important position.
The Lady Catamounts have a legacy of strong point guards. The last three — Rachel Hennon, Lacie Coquerille and the current starter, Amanda Rector — each started for four years. And each has been a smart, gritty floor leader, according to the coach.
“It’s been a nice run of point guards, that’s for sure,” McKinney said. “They’ve all been great playmakers and outstanding leaders.”
As the Lady Catamounts enter the new year 11-0 and ranked third in the state Class AAA coaches’ poll, Rector is the unquestioned team leader. Her numbers don’t leap out of the stat book — 11.2 points, four assists and four steals per game — but on this veteran team her role is to lead and direct more than it is to score.
“My role is to be the point guard, to set people up and to score when I need to … and to win,” said Rector, who has already signed to play collegiately at North Georgia. “Everybody wants to win: That’s our main goal. What I do in any game depends on the circumstance and the team we’re playing. It just clicks in my head. I don’t think about it; it just happens.”
Her role this season has expanded in some ways and lessened in others. With the addition of 6-foot-5 center Quaneisha McCurty, Rector now has to make sure to get the ball inside. Recent Dalton teams have been mostly focused on perimeter scoring and pushing the ball. By getting McCurty involved early in games, the Lady Cats can keep teams off balance defensively.
“I love lob passing it to her,” Rector said with a quick smile. “Emily Broaderick was our biggest girl since I’ve been here, and maybe she was 6-1, definitely not 6-5, so that makes a big difference.”
Rector and fellow senior guard April Besley are adept at disrupting teams with their ability to press defensively and push offensively. Besley, with her quickness, is the team’s best man-on-man defender, while Rector’s specialty is stepping into passing lanes and understanding defensive positioning. Their play will likely determine how far Dalton goes in the postseason, especially when the opposition becomes a lot quicker.
“I wouldn’t trade our backcourt with anyone,” McKinney said. “April makes us go, and Amanda is our coach on the floor. She understands everything we want to do without me having to tell her. This year we’re able to do a lot more offensively, and she has made it work.”
Rector isn’t afraid to say the Lady Cats fully expect to make a run at the state title. Dropping down this year to a wide-open Class AAA helps along with the addition of McCurty.
“I think we can win state, that’s what we’re playing for,” she said. “If we’re undefeated and we win our last game, that means we’ve won it all. I can’t think of a better way to go out.”
Contact Lindsey Young at lyoung@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6296.