By Molly Seales

The Riverdale Rebels and Lady Rebels both had a wonderful basketball season under the direction of head coach Cliff New and assistant coach Katie Williamson. Unfortunately, both teams came up short in the quarterfinals of the Class 2A Tournament. On February 13, the boys won a thriller over Prentiss Christian with a score of 53-52. Ben Almond led the Rebels in scoring with 21 points, in deflections with 6, in assists with 3, and in steals with 2. Thad Bates added 19 points and led the team in rebounding with 8 boards. Ryder Huddleston had 5 points, 5 rebounds, and 5 deflections. Mason Murray and Jace Wilhite added 3 points each. Kyle Guillory had 2 points and led the team in deflections with 6.

In the quarterfinals, the Rebels came up short 74-44 to a great West Memphis Christian School team. Thad Bates led the team in scoring with 13 points. He also had 8 rebounds and 5 deflections. Ryder Huddleston had a double-double with 10 points and 12 rebounds. Ben Almond had 9 points, 4 assists, and 4 steals. Mason Murray had 5 points and 4 deflections, and Kyle Guillory had 5 points and 6 rebounds. James Wagoner rounded out the scoring with 2 points. The boys ended the season with a 15-9 record.

As undefeated district champions, the Lady Rebels got a bye the first round and then faced Columbus Christian, who later won the class 2A title. They lost a 39-36 heartbreaker to Columbus. Senior Jessie Kate Cobb went out big in her final game as a Lady Rebel, leading the team in scoring with 9 points, in rebounds with 11 boards, and in deflections with 4. Mary Claire Jones added 8 points and led the team in assists with 3 and deflections with 4. Makayla Pickett had 7 points, 6 rebounds, and 4 deflections, and in her second game of the season, Sky McMullan also had 7 points. Hanna Catherine Huddleston chipped in 5 points. Jadyn King had 5 rebounds and 3 deflections, while Madison Chamberlin had 4 boards and 3 deflections. The Lady Rebels finished the season 20-2.

We will miss our seniors Jessie Kate Cobb, Ben Almond, Thad Bates, Mason Murray, James Wagoner, and cheerleader Molly Seales. Thanks to you all for the great memories!

Photo credit Leslie Johnson

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