Matt Vines

JACKSON, Miss – By the time Riverdale Academy got its bearings in the first round of the MAIS overall state tournament Monday, Presbyterian Christian held an insurmountable lead at Mississippi College.

The Lady Panthers built a 30-point halftime lead en route to a 60-32 win against the Riverdale girls basketball team.

Riverdale (32-7), the third-place team in the Class 2A tournament, had a tough draw in the opening round with the Class 6A runner-ups.

PCS (22-11) used its size and speed to force 22 turnovers, which led to PCS transition buckets.

“(Monday) was a struggle,” Riverdale coach Trey Pittman said. “PCS was bigger, stronger and faster.

“They also shot the ball extremely well.”

Those 22 turnovers nearly matched Riverdale’s total shot attempts (25), although Riverdale did take more free throws (12-16) than PCS (8-13).

The Lady Panthers scored the game’s first nine points using a half-court trapping defense, a system that served PCS well throughout the game.

Freshman Kaleigh Pickett scored Riverdale’s first bucket midway through the first quarter to cut PCS’s lead to 9-2. But the Lady Panthers scored 11 of the next 12 points to build an early 21-3 edge.

Pickett led Riverdale with nine points on 4-6 shooting.

Senior Jadyn King chipped in eight points on 3-4 shooting.

PCS’s Jules Sherer and Kimora Randle each scored 16 points to lead a Lady Panthers squad that shot nearly 48 percent from the field.

Riverdale did win the second half 18-16, but the Lady Rebels could never chip far into PCS’s large first-half lead.

Riverdale was playing in its first overall state tournament since 2020, reaching this stage after an undefeated district season and a Class 2A South Region title that was part of a 24-game winning streak.

The Lady Rebels have just two seniors on this year’s team – King and Kacie Harper.

That means the vast majority of Riverdale players, including four starters, will return next season. Class 2A all-tournament performers Mary Claire Jones and Makayla Pickett are among the returners.

“We will be the favorites in our classification next year,” Pittman said. “We had a great year and achieved all of our goals except last week (not winning the Class 2A state title).

“I am blessed to have been their coach. They are a great group of young ladies on and off the court.