How Curry has propelled Memphis East to the 4A semifinals
MURFREESBORO – Alijah Curry was once again dominant in a postseason game on Thursday in Memphis East’s 60-51 Class 4A quarterfinals win over Dobyns-bennett in the TSSAA Bluecross Boys Basketball State Championships at Middle Tennessee State’s Murphy Center.
Since the TSSAA basketball postseason began with the District 16-4A district tournament, Curry has averaged a double-double and become increasingly more difficult to guard as the Mustangs have advanced through the district, region and now state tournament.
With East’s win over the defending state champions, the Mustangs will play Independence, at 11:30 a.m. Friday in the Class 4A semifinals.
What exactly is motivating Curry to play some of his best basketball of the season?
“I want it,” said Curry, who led all scorers with 20 points and eight rebounds in the Mustangs’ win.
Dobyns-bennett knew the matchup against Curry was going to be a tough task.
“Him, just his presence, his athleticism, his grittiness was really tough on us,” Dobyns-bennett coach Chris Poore said. “When he went in aggressively, he’s got the skill.”
Curry plays physical when he catches the ball in the post. His awareness around the rim is so good, sometimes he just turns and shoots because he knows exactly where the basket is.
And his midrange game is just as efficient as his inside game.
Curry can even face-up and stretch to the perimeter. You can’t just take one part of his game away because he has multiple ways to get going.
“You really have to find points where Alijah can be the focus point of the offense,” Memphis East coach Jevonte Holmes said. “Case and point, I really didn’t think (Dobyns-bennett was)
very strong in the inside. So, I thought Alijah could exploit that.”
During Thursday’s semifinal game, Curry became East’s security blanket.
He scored the team’s first basket, scored half his points from the free throw line on 10-of-14 shooting. And he was the spark for the offense in the second quarter, scoring eight points in the quarter and getting the Mustangs within
one possession.
“We try to use that mismatch to set the tone for us, offensively,” Holmes said. “... When he gets off to a good start, we’re a tough team.”
Curry and East are on a mission to bring the gold ball back to Memphis. It already had to return one earlier this year for violating the TSSAA’S recruiting rule, so that adds even more motivation
for this team to win it all.
If Curry continues to be the interior beast he’s been the last month, he could very well carry the Mustangs to Saturday’s state title game. First, East will need to win one more game before it reaches championship Saturday.
“It’s one of those things, before I leave high school — before I leave this high school — I want a ring,” Curry said.