SPORTS

Riverdale's Anastasia Hayes named Gatorade player of year

Tom Kreager
USA TODAY NETWORK - Tennessee

MURFREESBORO – Anastasia Hayes was named the Tennessee Gatorade Girls Basketball Player of the Year on Monday, two days after leading Riverdale to its second straight Class AAA state championship and the program’s sixth overall.

Anastasia Hayes (3), of Riverdale High School, left, battles against Jireh Washington (1), of Memphis Central High School during the first half of the Tennessee Division I AAA girls' high school basketball championship game Saturday, March 11, 2017, in Nashville.

Hayes, who was also named the TSSAA's Class AAA Miss Basketball and a McDonald’s All-American, averaged 22.2 points a game this past season.

Hayes, a Tennessee signee, scored 33 points in the Lady Warriors’ 66-59 win over Memphis Central in Saturday’s state championship game. Hayes was named the Class AAA state tournament’s MVP.

Related: Riverdale coach Randy Coffman named national coach of year

Hayes, a 5-foot-7 point guard, was also named a finalist for the Naismith national player of the year award.

The award has been given to a Murfreesboro standout player the last four years. Current Connecticut freshman point guard Crystal Dangerfield received the honor from 2014-16 while at Blackman.

Reach Tom Kreager at 615-259-8089 and tkreager@tennessean.com or @Kreager.