Matt Vines

LAKE PROVIDENCE – Delta Academy has been a historic thorn in the side of Riverdale Academy’s girls basketball program, but the Lady Rebels had no trouble Wednesday night in the first round of the Class 2A Tournament.

Riverdale (31-5) breezed past Delta’s press defense and pummeled the No. 4 seed in a 64-25 victory.

“It was a complete team effort,” said Riverdale coach Trey Pittman. “We handled their press well, for sure. Mary Claire Jones scored 23 points, and we got 18 from Makayla Pickett. Jadyn King was dominant on the defensive end.”

Riverdale ends Delta Academy’s season one year after Delta eliminated a sickness-riddled Lady Rebels squad in the semifinal round.

The No. 1 seed Lady Rebels move on to the semifinals, where No. 2 seed Marvell Academy awaits in a 2:15 p.m. game Friday at tournament host Briarfield Academy.

Marvell also beat Riverdale in the Class 2A Tournament this past season, that loss coming in the third-place game.

A win against Marvell assures Riverdale a spot in the Class 2A title game and the MAIS overall state tournament, which includes the top two teams of each class.

It would be the first overall state appearance for Riverdale since 2020.

Marvell point guard Harper James uses her quickness to beat defenders and draw fouls, but Riverdale is one of the best defensive teams in the state, led by its own point guard, Mary Claire Jones.

“We’ve got to keep (James) off the free-throw line and keep that team off the offensive boards,” Pittman said. “Marvell scores a lot of points, so defending and staying out of foul trouble will be key to victory.”

Riverdale likes to turn its defense into offense, with rebounding and forcing turnovers central to that philosophy.

On the other side of the Class 2A bracket are No. 1 seed Columbus Christian and No. 3 seed Calhoun Academy.

Calhoun Academy knocked off host Briarfield in the first round (52-42), while Columbus handled No. 4 Tensas Academy (61-21).

Riverdale does have a six-point win against Calhoun Academy this season if those teams match up for the Class 2A title, which will be played Saturday at 2:15 p.m.