In four-peat quest, Riverdale basketball familiar with TSSAA quarterfinal foe Arlington

It's tough to find familiarity when playing in the TSSAA state basketball tournament quarterfinals.

But Riverdale's girls will have a pretty familiar foe in Arlington in Wednesday's quarterfinals at 4:30 p.m. at Murphy Center.

The teams played last summer at camp and in the State Farm Classic at Riverdale Dec. 29.

"This will be the third time we've played them. It could probably benefit both teams," said Riverdale junior Alasia Hayes. "You can't take anything for granted."

Riverdale defeated Arlington 77-56 in that State Farm Classic contest, one of just seven losses for the Lady Tigers (27-7), who have won 15 of 17 since that contest.

"They're a good team .... very athletic," said Hayes.

Neither Arlington nor Riverdale have lost since the postseason started. The Lady Tigers won District 15-AAA with an 88-51 win over Bartlett and won Region 7-AAA with a 70-39 triumph over Dyer County.

They defeated Whitehaven 64-58 in the sectional, their only postseason opponent that came within 18 points.

Arlington has good size, with seven players on its roster listed as at least 6-foot tall.

Scoring-wise the Lady Tigers are balanced, with 6-4 senior center Lanetta Williams averaging 11.1 points and 7.4 rebounds. Junior guard Nya Stewart averages 10.1 points  while sophomore guard Carmen Taylor averages 9.2.

Williams has also blocked 72 shots.

Riverdale will be attempting to win its fourth consecutive Class AAA state title, something that hasn't been done since the 1989-92 Shelbyville teams.

The 2018-19 Lady Warriors squad is considerably different than the previous three, with three first-year starters (Jalyn Holcomb, Acacia Hayes, Katelyn Worley) joining veterans Aislynn Hayes (senior MTSU signee) and Alasia Hayes.

"I'm pretty comfortable, not really that nervous," said Alasia Hayes, on her experience at the state tournament, including an extensive role off the bench in 2017 and a starting role last year. "I'm confident."

But Riverdale hasn't missed a beat, going 30-1 and being ranked No. 1 in the Associated Press poll all season. The Lady Warriors have an 86-game in-state winning streak dating to 2016.

More:Live updates: Tennessee high school girls basketball state tournament pairings

If Riverdale wins Wednesday, there could be a rematch of last year's state championship game in Friday's 1:15 p.m. semifinals against Houston (29-2), which plays Mt. Juliet (27-6) in the other upper bracket quarterfinal.

The bottom half of the bracket includes Bradley Central (31-3), Lebanon (25-10), Oak Ridge (33-2) and Science Hill (31-3).

Riverdale has also played Lebanon, defeating the Lady Blue Devils 48-45 on Nov. 30.

"It's a good draw," said Riverdale first-year coach Amy Josephson. "There are really good teams. Houston will be very tough. Having a day off and being able to prepare for them would be a good thing if we're fortunate enough to get past Arlington."

The state championship game is set for 1:30 p.m. Saturday.

Reach Cecil Joyce at cjoyce@dnj.com or 615-278-5168 and on Twitter @Cecil_Joyce.

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