Matt Vines

Riverdale Academy was well-represented in the MidSouth Association of Independent Schools’ girls basketball all-star festivities this past week.

Junior point guard Mary Claire Jones was named the Class 2A Player of the Year, just the third player to earn that honor in Riverdale girls basketball history.

Jones took part in the MAIS Futures Game, a contest from all classifications in which the game’s brightest underclassmen play. Jones was the only Class 2A player selected.

Jones’s Red Team, which was coached by Riverdale’s Trey Pittman, led in the third quarter but ultimately lost, 93-74, to the Gray Team.

Senior Jadyn King represented Riverdale in the Class 2A-3A All-Star game, which features seniors only.

King contributed eight points and six rebounds to her team’s effort, although in a loss.

“Both Mary Claire and Jadyn represented us well and made us proud this week,” Pittman said. “It was nice to see how prepared Mary Claire was and the things she understood compared to some of the other girls from other schools.

“Jadyn felt the same way in her game as well.”

Jones and junior Makayla Pickett were voted to the Class 2A All-MAIS team, a squad that consists of just seven players.

The trio of Jones, Pickett, and King led Riverdale to a 32-7 record with a district title and a 2A South Region title.

Riverdale won the third-place game in the Class 2A state tournament, which earned them a spot in the MAIS overall state tournament for the first time since 2020.