HIGH SCHOOL

The breakdown: Riverdale girls rip Frankin County in Region 4-AAA quarterfinals

Ryan Jent
For The DNJ

The last time Riverdale's girls basketball team stepped on to the floor, the Lady Warriors escaped with a 57-55 win over Stewarts Creek for the District 7-AAA title in a game that was not decided until the final seconds.

The nation's top-ranked team (USA Today, MaxPreps) decided Friday's Region 4-AAA quarterfinal contest against Franklin County much earlier.

The Lady Warriors started the game on a 14-3 run and never looked back in a 93-38 rout at Riverdale High School.

Riverdale advances to take on Lawrence County (which eliminated Oakland 59-50) in Monday's region semifinals at 6 p.m. at Siegel High.

Here is a breakdown of the game:

Riverdale girls 93, Franklin Co. 38

Records: Franklin County 10-19, Riverdale 28-0.

The skinny: Riverdale used its defense to create offense against an overmatched Lady Rebels.  Using a combination of full court pressure and half court defensive traps, Riverdale kept Franklin County’s offense at bay as the Lady Rebels were not able to consistently set up its half court offense.

The Lady Warriors were equally impressive with its fast break. McDonald's All-American and University of Tennessee signee Anastasia Hayes poured in 29 points, many of which came as a result of Lady Rebel turnovers and fast break points.

Riverdale's Anastasia Hayes is fouled hard by Franklin Count's Ashton Holman during Friday's Region 4-AAA quarterfinal.

Turning point: Though Riverdale owned a 26-11 lead after one quarter, the defensive pressure intensified during the second frame as the Lady Warriors limited Franklin County to only seven points.  Riverdale increased its lead to 49-18 going into halftime.

Leading scorers: Franklin County: Sky Johnson 9, Mycah Jordan 7, Kelly Denton 6, Ashton Holman 6. Riverdale: Anastasia Hayes 29, Brinae Alexander 15, Alexis Whittington 10, Amanda Whittington 9.

Quotable: “When we do scout we just try to stay focused on that game and we don’t talk about who we’re playing after that. We just stay focused on the task and in scout we try to get to know the other team really well.” - Riverdale junior Alexis Whittington, an MTSU commitment.

Riverdale's Alexis Whittington guards Franklin County's Chyna Williams.
Riverdale's Aislynn Hayes goes up for a layup during Friday's contest.