DALTON, Ga.-If she hadn’t already done so, Quaneisha McCurty firmly established herself as the single most disruptive force in Georgia girls’ Class AAA basketball Saturday.
Recording a triple-double with 23 points, 14 rebounds and 10 blocked shots, the 6-foot-5 Dalton center was much more than St. Pius X could handle in a 50-36 Lady Catamounts win in the state quarterfinal round at the Northwest Georgia Trade Center.
Dalton (31-0) advances to the semifinals in Macon, where it will face Westover (25-4) at 4 p.m. Friday. The final is set for Saturday at 7.
It didn’t take long Saturday for McCurty to establish herself in the lane. Facing the smaller Lady Lions (25-6), who did not have a player over 6 feet, the Lady Cats came in determined to feed the future Louisville player. She scored eight points in the opening period and seven in the second, most coming on set plays where she would flash in front of the goal and get a quick pass.
“That was something we felt like we could take advantage of,” Dalton coach Jeff McKinney said. “If they were going to guard us man-to-man, we were going to get her the basketball. The girls looked for her and Quan did a good job of scoring down low. She loves big games.”