Matt Vines

CLINTON, Miss. – One last ride.

That’s what Riverdale and its five seniors are guaranteed Wednesday when the Lady Rebels face Madison-Ridgeland Academy in the first round of the overall MidSouth Association of Independent Schools tournament at Mississippi College.

Tip is Wednesday at 1:45 p.m. with streaming options available through maisnetwork.org for those that can’t attend in person.

But Riverdale (28-6) wants more than just one game as it makes a second straight appearance in the overall tournament.

And as the only program in the smallest classification to ever win the overall tournament, Riverdale has proven before that Class A schools aren’t just there for decoration.

Head coach Trey Pittman was in charge when Riverdale accomplished that feat the first time in 2003, and Pittman in his third season back in the saddle in East Point.

What awaits Riverdale on Wednesday is a Madison-Ridgeland bunch that won the Class 4A Division II state championship with both tournament wins coming by more than 20 points.

“(MRA) is probably the best team in the MAIS, and they are ranked top five, maybe even as high as third, in the entire state,” said Riverdale coach Trey Pittman. “It’ll be a challenge for sure.”

MRA (30-5) has four of its five losses to members of the Mississippi High School Athletics Association. Simpson Academy is the only MAIS to hand MRA a loss, but MRA owns two victories over Simpson.

The Patriots feature four players standing at least 6 feet tall, including 6-foot-5 Alyssa Dampier, daughter of famed Mississippi State basketball player Erick Dampier, a 16-year NBA veteran.

Riverdale will need to connect from the perimeter as driving off the dribble and interior passing will be made difficult by a long MRA squad.

The Lady Rebels will need to learn from their 52-41 loss to Desoto in the Class A championship game in which the Lady T-Birds were able to run the floor and limit Riverdale’s opportunities from live ball turnovers.

But a shooting touch like Riverdale had in a 62-49 win over Marvell Academy is possible, and Riverdale will likely need point guard Mary Claire Jones to repeat her 31-point performance on Wednesday.

Jones eclipsed the 2,000-point scoring mark for her career earlier this season as one of the most prolific scorers in Riverdale history.

The reigning Class 2A Player of the Year (before the MAIS reverted back to Class A) certainly wants to extend her career as well as the careers of her four fellow seniors.

Julia Grace Riggs and Hanna Huddleston joined Jones on the all-tournament team, and seniors Makayla Pickett and Charity Williamson also play key roles in the team’s success.

“These seniors deserve this opportunity, and they deserve another game,” Pittman said of the chance to return to the overall MAIS tournament.

The talk of a “blue trophy” has permeated this season, and even though Riverdale couldn’t hoist a blue trophy at the conclusion of the Class A Tournament, they’ll pour everything into winning an overall MAIS trophy.

Beat Madison-Ridgeland on Wednesday, and the Lady Rebels prove they can top anyone in the tournament.