Mortimer Jordan led most of the way, but had to hold off a late rally by Hayden as they won a 72-66 decision Tuesday in a Class 5A Area 11 girls basketball game.

The Wildcats went out to an early lead, but the Blue Devils gradually erased the deficit and accumulated a lead of as many as 11 points by the end of the third period. But Hayden went on a 13-2 run to start the fourth quarter, and went ahead by a point on a Hannah Padgett basket with 4:14 left to play.

From that point onward, though, the Devils charged back into the lead, with seven straight points by Haley Alexander that included a 3-point play. The Cats were then forced to foul and put Jordan on the free throw line the rest of the way.

Alexander led all scorers with 21 points, nine of the in the final period. Jordan point guard Shayna Mims added 15.

For Hayden – which has struggled without a true point guard following a season-ending ACL tear by Evin Bibb in a game against Cleveland last week – Padgett led with 18 points and Sharley Miller scored 17, which included five 3-point baskets.

The Devils (5-5, 3-0) are now in the driver’s seat for the top seed and home-court advantage in the area tournament in February; they are off until Monday, when they host Corner. Hayden (6-3, 1-1) hosts Dora on Thursday.