Hayden's Duncan Parker is on the run, but with Orion Recke of Mortimer Jordan in pursuit during the Blue Devils' win over the Wildcats Friday night.

If Mortimer Jordan had stayed on their first-period pace of 34 in a quarter, they would have finished 136 points by the final buzzer.

They didn’t, but they had more than enough of a hot night from the floor as they subjected host Hayden to a mercy-rule defeat Friday, tripling up on the Wildcats with a 75-25 score.

The Blue Devils shook off two uninspiring losses in the previous 72 hours, and took out their frustrations on a struggling Hayden team. All but one of coach Lynn Elkins’ players scored at least two points.

Elkins was also happy to see the return of forward Orion Recke, who has been sidelines for the past four games.

“He’s had a stress fracture, and getting him back tonight with his scoring and athleticism made a big difference,” Elkins said. “We’ve been kind of out of sync without him in the lineup.”

Recke scored just seven points, but saw little action after halftime, as was the case with nearly all of the Jordan starters.

Guard Connor Moon had the hot hand early, as he put up 11 points in the first period alone, including a trio of 3-point goals. He finished with 16 points on the night to lead all scorers.

Seth Barnett added 12 points and Mark Louis 10 for the Devils, but it was a spectacular second-quarter  shot block by Louis — the shortest player on the court — that had even the Wildcat fans in awe.

Luke Wall continued to serve as a stalwart for Hayden, leading the team with 10 points. But the inexperienced Cats were simply outgunned by the Devils, who wrapped up the Class 5A Area 12 regular-season title, and the honor of hosting the are tournament in February.

Jordan hits the road next Tuesday to take on Cullman, while Hayden completes its area schedule with a trip to Walker.