Matt Vines

MARKS, Miss. – Upon reaching the Class 2A Tournament semifinals, the Riverdale girls basketball team needed one win to continue their season in the overall state tournament.

For the first time this season, Riverdale lost consecutive games.

The Lady Rebels fell to tournament host No. 2 seed Delta Academy, 46-31 on Friday, before dropping a tough contest 64-47 to No. 1 seed Marvell Academy in the third-place game Saturday.

The top three teams from each classification advanced to the overall state tournament.

“It’s just hard to beat good teams on their home floor,” said Riverdale coach Trey Pittman. “We had some adversity in the third quarter (against Delta) that we couldn’t overcome.

“Marvell was the number one team all year (in Class 2A), and they got upset by one point in the semifinals, so that’s who we saw in the third-place game.”

Riverdale finished the season 24-5, winning a district title and a Class 2A South Region championship as the host team.

The Lady Rebels have just one senior in Madison Chamberlin, so Riverdale should be a contender in the coming seasons.

“Madison is the ultimate team player who puts her team first, and we’ll miss her dearly,” said Pittman, who finished his first season back at Riverdale. “When I think back on this season, I just see all the improvement we made.

“We still have a ways to go in terms of getting faster and tougher with the ball. Next year, we’ll try to put them in big games before postseason and have them more battle-tested.”

Riverdale ran roughshod over its district, winning all 10 games by double digits.

The Lady Rebels did seek to play a few tough opponents in its early-season schedule, including a 54-38 loss to Delta Academy in late November.