By Molly Seales

Riverdale Academy basketball teams picked up four more wins against Tallulah Trojans on December 16. The JV girls picked up a 26-11 win with Makayla Pickett leading the team in scoring with 12 points. Charity Williamson added 4 points and led the team in rebounds with 4. Mary Claire Jones added 2 points and led the team in assists with 4 and steals with 7. Alissa Curry, Ally Kate Hillman, and Krista Mancil added 2 points each. Abbie Jowers led the team in deflections with 3.

The JV boys picked an easy 39-4 win over Tallulah. Tanner Carlisle had an impressive double-double with 19 points and 10 steals. Ashton Almond added 13 points, 6 steals, and 5 deflections. Cannon Breedlove had 3 points and 6 deflections, while Hayden Cason had 2 points and a blocked shot. Cason, Almond, and Carlisle each had 4 rebounds to lead the team. Jackson Hillman added 2 points and led the team in deflections with 7.

The varsity girls picked up a big 52-24 win over the Trojans. Mary Claire Jones led the team with 25 points (7-3 pointers) and also led the team in assists, steals, and deflections with 4 each. Jadyn King had a fantastic game with 17 points  and 6 boards, and Georgia Carlisle also scored in double figures with 12 points. Jessie Kate Cobb added 4 points and led the team in rebounding with 10. Makayla Pickett added a free throw and pulled down 8 boards.

The varsity boys defeated Tallulah 53-17. Jace Wilhite led the team in scoring with 11 points and in steals with 5, and Ben Almond added 10 points. Kyle Guillory added 7 points and led the team in rebounding with 9, while Ryder Huddleston had 3 points and pulled down 8 boards. Thad Bates had 6 points, and Mason Murray added 5 points. Hayden Hillman scored 4 points, Colin Bates had 3 points, and Ashton Almond and Logan Gryder added 2 points each.

Coach Cliff is grooming the younger and more inexperienced players by getting them into the game as much as possible. Against Tallulah, all players on all four teams saw a good bit of playing time. The varsity girls are eagerly awaiting the return of junior Sky McMullan, who has been out all season after an ACL injury. She should be ready to return in early January and is a strong force on both offense and defense. Great things await for the second half of the season!

Photo credit Leslie Johnson

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