Matt Vines

COUSHATTA — The hot streak that Red River girls basketball is on lifted the Lady Bulldogs into the history books this week.

With Tuesday’s 57-46 home win against Winnfield, Red River clinched the District 3-2A title.

All that stands in between Red River and the start of the playoffs is a Friday date at Lakeside, whom Red River beat 71-20 in the first meeting.

It’s the regular season finale with the playoffs starting next week for a Red River squad that improved to 18-2 and 6-1 in district play.

Tuesday’s win came after a huge 42-39 win at perennial district power Mansfield, securing a season sweep over the Lady Wolverines.

The Lady Bulldogs, winners of six of their last seven games, entered Tuesday as the No. 12 seed in the Division III Non-Select power rankings.

The Red River boys were already district champions headed into Tuesday’s matchup, and they cemented their district dominance with a 72-32 thumping of Winnfield.

It’s a Winnfield bunch that pushed the Bulldogs in the first meeting, a 69-58 win.

Red River (17-8, 7-0) have won eight straight contests.

The Bulldogs are at No. 5 in the Division III Non-Select power rankings

Riverdale basketball ready to leap into Class A state tournament
The Riverdale girls and basketball teams continue their playoff trek Wednesday at the Class A state tournament at Columbus Christian in Steens, Miss.

The Lady Rebels (26-5) ripped through the South Region tournament and will be one of two No. 1 seeds in the eight-team tournament.

Riverdale plays host and No. 4 seed Columbus Christian at 6:30 p.m.

The Rebels (4-13) enter as a No. 4 seed and will also play host Columbus Christian, who is a No. 1 seed, at 7:45 p.m. on Wednesday.

The boys put their growth season on display with a win against Mt. Salus Christian before an eventual loss in the third-place game against Briarfield Academy.

The Rebels trailed by just seven points with six minutes remaining before Briarfield Academy made a flurry of 3-pointers to run away with a 73-49 win.

That same Briarfield squad beat Columbus Christian, 58-15, in late December, which means Riverdale certainly has a chance despite the seeding.

“We did a lot of good things at the regional tournament, and we brought a lot of energy and played with a ton of heart,” said coach Ty Jones. “They’ve worked so hard to get here, and I couldn’t be more proud of their effort.

“There’s still a lot of work to be done, but I believe this is an opportunity for the young guys to gain some confidence finishing this season and going into the next.”

The top two teams in each state tournament will advance to the overall MAIS tournament, which feature teams of all classifications.

The Lady Rebels, with their five seniors led by stalwart Mary Claire Jones, are eyeing this group’s first state championship after a heartbreaking 59-56 loss to Marvell Academy in the state semifinals.

Riverdale did appear in the overall state tournament this past season.