John Curtis reaches eighth straight title game with win over Liberty

HAMMOND – Along with Lafayette Christian, John Curtis Christian has been the most dominant program in Louisiana in girls basketball over the last eight years.

Curtis won six straight state titles from 2017-22 before losing in last year’s Select Division I state championship game to Lafayette High.

The Patriots are determined to not let that happen again.

Second-seeded John Curtis is heading to its eighth consecutive title game after downing No. 3 Liberty 58-47 in a battle of Patriots on Thursday afternoon at University Center.

John Curtis Christian is heading to the championship! The Patriots take down Liberty to get back to the title game!

You can catch all the action from Hammond on our TV App! Download it today on Roku, Apple TV or Firestick!@Curtis_Patriots @GeauxPrepsLA @TheLHSCA pic.twitter.com/7m3RypnjIM

— LHSAA Network (@lhsaanetworktv) March 1, 2024

Super sophomore Chikae Desdunes led the way for the Patriots with 24 points, five rebounds and four steals while while Imani Daniel added 16 points and six rebounds.

The first quarter saw four lead changes and two ties before John Curtis closed the quarter on an 8-0 run to take a 15-9 lead behind eight points from Daniel. Curtis forced five turnovers in the period.

John Curtis built the lead to 26-15 in the second quarter but Liberty closed the half on a 6-0 run to cut the halftime deficit to 26-20. Desdunes had 10 points in the quarter and 15 in the half while USM signee Whitney Hart had nine points and four rebounds. The Patriots dominated on the boards with a 25-10 bulge while Curtis committed 10 turnovers in the half.

Curtis extended the lead to 39-27 in the third quarter before carrying a 39-31 lead to the fourth quarter. Daniel had seven points in the third quarter but picked up her fourth foul.

With Daniel out of the game, Liberty went on a 13-3 run to cut the deficit to 42-40. When Daniel returned, John Curtis dominated the rest of the way, pulling away for the win.

While John Curtis is not a team with great length, it is an outstanding team rebounding team and that was a huge factor as Curtis outrebounded the taller Liberty squad 41-21, including 24 offensive rebounds. Curtis also outscored Liberty 15-0 from 3-point range, a huge separator.

Southern Miss signee Whitney Hart led Liberty (24-5) with 22 points, five rebounds and three blocks. Quiana Lavergne finished with 10 points and five rebounds.

John Curtis (21-4) advances to the championship game Saturday at noon against fifth-seed Woodlawn of Baton Rouge, who upset top seed Huntington 71-58. John Curtis defeated Woodlawn 68-55 on November 20.

FINAL
John Curtis 15 11 13 19 — 58
Liberty 9 11 11 16 — 47

Scoring:
John Curtis: Chikae Desdunes 24, Imani Daniel 16, Baily Timmons 7, Ke’Sonja Nelson 7, Jayla Albert 4

Liberty: Whitney Hart 22, Quiana Lavergne 10, Kaysharia Woods 9, Markiyah Jefferson 6

Rebounds: John Curtis 41, Liberty 21

Turnovers: John Curtis 41, Liberty 21

Assists: John Curtis 9, Liberty 10

Blocks: John Curtis 1, Liberty 4

Steals: John Curtis 13, Liberty 9

Field Goal Percentage: John Curtis 24-of-57 (42.1%), Liberty 19-of-44 (43.2%)

3-Point Percentage: John Curtis 5-of-13 (38.5%), Liberty 0-of-2

Free Throw Percentage: John Curtis 5-of-9 (55.6%), Liberty 9-of-12 (75%)

LHSAA Girls Prep Basketball Results from Thursday, Feb. 29

Non-Select Division I

(5) Parkway 64, (1) Walker 63 (OT)

(2) Denham Springs 46, (3) Mandeville 39

Select Division I

(5) Woodlawn (BR) 71, (1) Huntington 58

(2) John Curtis Christian 58, (3) Liberty 47

Select Division II (1) Lafayette Christian 58, (5) Bunkie 37

LHSAA Girls Prep Basketball Schedule for Friday, Feb. 30

Select Division V title game—(2) JS Clark Leadership Academy vs. (1) Oak Hill, Noon

Select Division IV title game—(2) Northwood-Lena vs. (1) Southern Lab, 2 p.m.

Non-Select Division IV title game–(2) Oakdale vs. (1) Arcadia, 4 p.m.

Select Division III—(4) University Lab vs. (2) Parkview Baptist, 6 p.m.

Non-Select Division V title game—(2) Fairview vs. (1) Hicks, 8 p.m.