KIMBERLY—Timely free-throw shooting helped the Mortimer Jordan girls basketball team finish a 50-39 win over Gardendale on Friday night.

Holding a 36-29 lead after three quarters, the Blue Devils converted 10 of their 14 free throws over the final eight minutes of play to preserve the home win. Jadyn Allen made five of those freebies while Alexis Goldsmith provided three of her own.

The game stayed tight much of the way, but Mortimer Jordan went on a 5-0 run late in the third quarter to claim a seven-point lead going into the final frame. Mackenzie Watson finished that run with a strong drive to the basket.

Perhaps, the biggest shot of the first half came from Kaylan Hines, who buried a baseline 3-pointer in the final seconds to even the score at 16-all. Before that shot, Gardendale held momentum with a pair of transition baskets form Laurin Hill and Morgan Quates.

Hill ended the night with 15 points and eight rebounds for Gardendale. Chelsea Debardleben secured a team-high 11 boards and added eight points.

For Mortimer Jordan, Allen led the way with 14 points. Goldsmith finished with 12 points and Hines came through with nine.

“We played hard and we play well in spurts, but we’ve got to be able to put four quarters together and we’ve got to work on taking care of the basketball right now,” said Gardendale head coach Amy Barnett.

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