HAYDEN — Mortimer Jordan won their 5A Area 14 first round game over Walker by a 54-48 score, to earn a spot in Saturday’s championship.
Advancing to the finals was no small task for Jordan, as they were without their rangy center Megan Snow for much of the contest. Snow battled foul trouble all night, which put her next to Coach Kelsey Treadaway on the bench more often than not. She produced just six points and four rebounds on the night.
“It was very tough [without Snow],” said Treadaway. “But Haley Alexander stepped up and had the best game I’ve ever seen her play.”
With Snow absent, Blue Devil forward Alexander exploded for a double-double. The sophomore took advantage of her increased touches by shooting 47 percent from the field, with 26 points and 12 rebounds. Alexander presented aggression on the offensive end, putting her on the free throw line often. She cashed in on six of her nine attempts.
Back-up center Natalie Johnsey filled in nicely with seven rebounds.
Jordan won the first match-up with the Vikings — a heart pounding 54-53 final in Kimberly before dropping the high-scoring affair at Walker 68-63 a month later.
Treadaway said sticking with man-to-man defense was key, and led to big plays defensively that kept Walker from posting big numbers again.
The Devils will face tournament host Hayden on Saturday at 3 p.m. in the championship game.
“The whole reason for playing this year is to win area and now we’re one game away,” said Treadaway.
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