De’Ana Turner scored 23 points and the Riverdale Lady Raiders basketball team made plays down the stretch to defeat the Spalding Lady Jaguars 56-51 Tuesday evening in Region 4-AAAA Division B action at Spalding High.

With the win, the third-place Lady Raiders improve to 10-11 overall and 7-5 in the region while the Lady Jags fall to 10-9, 4-7 and are still in fifth place in the subregion standings. Riverdale sweeps the season series against Spalding.

Tuesday’s game was tight throughout. Riverdale jumped out to a 17-14 first-quarter lead but Spalding went on a 4-0 run to take an 18-17 lead. Riverdale responded with an 8-0 run of its own to take a 25-18 lead at the 3:00 minute mark. Twandalette Cotton stopped the bleeding with a jumper to make it 25-20, but the Lady Raiders went on a 5-2 run to lead 30-22 at halftime.

Riverdale rolled to its biggest lead of the third quarter at 38-31 at the 3:50 mark, but Spalding put up a fight. The Lady Jags went on a 9-0 run to take the 40-38 lead, with Cotton sinking two jumpers and the Lady Jags outhustling Riverdale during the run. A Jasmine Holland layup gave the Lady Jags a 42-39 lead with 1:14 left in the period and it looked like they would hold on to that lead into the final stanza. But Riverdale’s Toni Thomas had other ideas, converting a 3-point play to tie the game at 42-all heading to the fourth quarter.

Thomas’ 3-point play seemed to spark the Lady Raiders. Turner and Sequioa Nelson both sank two jumpers apiece to lead Riverdale on an 8-3 run to give it a lead it wouldn’t relinquish at 50-45 with 4:11 remaining in the game. Riverdale increased the lead to 55-47 with 49 seconds remaining when Cotton sank 4 straight free throws to get the Lady Jags within four points at 55-51 with 15 seconds left. But Riverdale’s Thomas sank one more free throw for the final 56-51 margin.

Cotton finished with 23 points and 6 rebounds and Shaquoria Reid added 14 points for Spalding. Thomas scored 14 for Riverdale.

Spalding travels to play subregion foe Jonesboro Friday at 6 p.m. before hosting crosstown rival Griffin Saturday evening at 6 p.m.

SPALDING HIGH GIRLS

Date |Opponent |Time/Score

11/16 |vs. S. Atlanta |L 57-52

11/17 |vs. C. King |W 58-24

11/24 |Jackson |W 59-39

11/27 | L. GROVE* |W 53-35

12/1 |WALTON |L 56-55

12/4 |E. Landing* |W 55-45

12/7 |WOODLAND* |L 53-50

12/11 |DUTCHTOWN* |L 68-44

12/14 |Walton |W 44-43

12/22 |Newnan |W 61-45

12/27 |vs. Manchester |W 47-42

12/29 |vs. Greenville |W 73-54

1/4 |Riverdale* |L 52-50

1/8 |JONESBORO* |L 64-35

1/11 |Griffin* |L 49-46

1/12 |Stockbridge* |W 68-51

1/15 |N. Clayton* |L 53-38

1/18 |UPSON-LEE* |W 52-46 OT

1/22 |RIVERDALE* |L 56-51

1/25 |Jonesboro* |6:00

1/26 |GRIFFIN* |6:00

2/1 |N. CLAYTON* |6:00

2/5 |Upson-Lee* |6:00