The Mortimer Jordan boys basketball team has started its season off on the right foot. Behind a 21-point second quarter, the Blue Devils cruised past Hanceville, 47-39, in the Hanceville Thanksgiving Tournament.

First-year head coach Josh Golden, who led the Thompson girls to a 71-23 mark over the last three seasons, now sits at 1-0 with the Blue Devils. He and his team take on Curry in the semifinals of the tournament on Wednesday (8:30 p.m.) at Hanceville High School.

In Tuesday’s win, it was a big first half that made the difference. Mortimer Jordan connected on seven 3-pointers to claim a 32-12 edge at the break. According to Golden, his boys came out of the halftime locker room a little flat, but never surrendered the healthy lead.

Patrick Burkett, who knocked down three shots from behind the arc, finished with a game-high 13 points. Trevor Chandler helped out with nine points of his own. Caleb Brown went for seven points while leading the team with eight rebounds.

The Blue Devils’ top ball distributer was Justin Anderson, who handed out seven assists in the season-opening win.

Erik Harris is the Sports Editor of The North Jefferson News. Email him at njnsports@gmail.com or follow him on Twitter @jeharris2.