Matt Vines

WOODVILLE, Miss. – To say the Riverdale girls’ basketball team was locked in for the first round of the MAIS Class 2A South Regional might be an understatement.

The No. 1 seed Lady Rebels suffocated No. 4 Tallulah Academy, 66-6, on Wednesday night at tournament host Wilkinson County Christian Academy.

The victory assures Riverdale a spot in the Class 2A Tournament this coming week and advances the Lady Rebels to the regional semifinals where they’ll meet No. 2 Tensas Academy. That game is Friday at 4 p.m.

Tensas squeaked by No. 3 Claiborne Academy, 43-41, in the first round.

Riverdale (28-5) has won 21 games in a row dating back to Dec. 10.

The Riverdale boys’ season ended Wednesday in a 63-31 loss to Mt. Salus.

The No. 3 seeded Rebels (10-21) couldn’t channel their strengths to challenge No. 2 Mt. Salus, who advanced to the regional semifinals and punched their ticket to next week’s Class 2A state tournament.

A young Riverdale bunch has matured rapidly throughout head coach Ty Jones’ first season at the helm and will return the majority of their roster this coming season.

Red River boys’ winning streak now at 12
The Red River boys basketball team extended its winning streak to 12 games, and the last four games paint an accurate picture of how the Bulldogs season has went.

Red River (20-3) logged a win against district foe Winnfield in a 70-63 victory on Jan. 24, knocking off the No. 9 team in Division III Non-Select.

The Bulldogs continue to be ranked No. 1 in that division, leading by nearly 1.5 points over No. 2 Madison.

Red River then annihilated Lakeside (77-29) on Jan. 28 before avenging one of its three losses this season when they took care of Captain Shreve on Jan. 31 by a score of 56-53 in Coushatta. The Class 5A Gators won the first matchup by 11 points in Shreveport.

The Bulldogs demonstrated their district domination in a 72-27 win against Many on Tuesday.

Red River can secure at least a share of the district title with a win against Mansfield tonight at home. The Bulldogs took the first meeting, 79-61, on the road to begin district play.

Lady Bulldogs still in line for home playoff game
The Red River girls basketball team is slipping from district title contention with its loss at Many on Tuesday, but the Lady Bulldogs are still in line to host a playoff game.

Red River (10-14, 3-2) couldn’t pull off a sweep of Many this season as the Lady Tigers grabbed a 45-32 win after the Lady Bulldogs won the first meeting by nine points.

Many and Mansfield both have one loss in district play, and Red River has dropped a contest to each and will play Mansfield for a second time tonight (in Coushatta).

A win would insert Red River back into the district title discussion, but a loss would eliminate the Lady Bulldogs from contention. Mansfield won the first contest, 42-28, in Mansfield.

Red River does have a relatively comfortable margin at No. 16 in Division III Non-Select, owning a 1.15-point edge in the power rankings over No. 17 North Webster.

A late-season swoon could knock Red River out of a home playoff game in the last week, but one or two wins in the last three regular-season games should seal a top-16 slot.

Red River has already beaten next week’s opponents in Winnfield and Lakeside this season.