CULLMAN, Ala.- After a blowout upset of (21-9) Jasper in the Class 6A, Area 13 semifinal, (17-12) Mortimer Jordan traveled to face off with the top-seeded Cullman Lady Bearcats on Monday night for the championship. (TAMMY) The Blue Devils offense came out hot, and both teams traded blows until the final seconds, where defensive stands and turnovers would seal a tight 52-50 victory for Mortimer Jordan.
Coming off their win over the Lady Vikings, Mortimer Jordan seemed to still be carrying momentum despite a new day and a new opponent. A pair of floaters by Kaleah Chatman and a layup from Taelyn Russell gave the Lady Blue Devils a quick 6-0 lead, but Cullman responded with a 8-2 run where the inside touch of Molly Dorough and Molly Wilson was on full display. Points in the paint were hard fought for Cullman, but necessary due to the strong perimeter defense of Mortimer Jordan. With the crowd riled up and the Lady Bearcats finding rhythm, Lady Blue Devil Kaylani Scottland snatched the energy right back, nailing two straight from beyond the arc then assisting on another from Claire Segars, quickly rebuilding a 17-8 deficit for Cullman. Dorough would sink another tough inside layup, Kadence Hanback drained a three from the corner, then Molly Wilson blocked a shot on one end and sunk a short jumper on the other, putting the Bearcats back in business. The highest scoring quarter of the night would end with Cullman trailing just 19-17.
Much like the first quarter, good looks were hard to come by for Cullman. Every single bucket was a grind, starting with a Wilson put back layup that she grabbed a rebound over three defenders to secure. The next possession, after multiple passes around the arc and nothing opening up, Hanback saw an opening and threw up a three, nailing it to take a 22-21 lead. Like they did all night, however, Mortimer Jordan responded… and quickly. Baya Roman’s heater would begin here, hitting the first of her three triples in the quarter to take the lead back. Two jumpers from Wilson kept Cullman afloat, but Roman’s quick scoring led to the Blue Devils turning the pressure on on defense. It wasn’t handled well, with two possessions coming up empty due to errant passes, but they’d find the basket again on a three from seventh-grade point guard Katherine Ugarkovich. Avoiding letting it becoming a run for the Lady Bearcats, Mortimer Jordan milked the clock for nearly 40 seconds to take a 34-29 lead into halftime.
With a new energy, Cullman rattled off three straight scores, with the final being a Wilson put back after grabbing a missed free throw. The run gave the Lady Bearcats the lead once again, but they’d fail to capitalize off Mortimer Jordan misses, turning the ball over twice. Just like in the second, Roman answered with a three, then another. An and-one make by Wilson and another three from Ugarkovich made it 41-40, but the Lady Blue Devils had an answer every single time, with a three and a free throw make by Scottland giving Mortimer Jordan a 44-42 lead heading into the final period.
Senior Rachel Hoffman would find the basket for Cullman to open the quarter, but two straight scores by Blue Devil Mattie Machen put the lead at 48-44 in favor of Mortimer Jordan. The fourth was particularly frustrating for Cullman, who was finding their way to the basket, but failing to hit their shots. Wilson was fouled under the basket on a shot attempt and made both of her free throws to make it a 48-46 deficit, spurring the Lady Bearcats to go into full court press defense, which forced a turnover as soon as the ball made its way inside the arc on the other end of the floor. On the other end, they turned it right back over, with every possession starting to mean more as the clock hit under two minutes. After a free throw make by Mortimer Jordan, Dorough put in a tough hook shot from partially behind the basket to make it a 49-48 deficit. Chatman was fouled, then sunk both free throws to make it a three point game. Hoffman would put in a layup under a minute to go, then Lady Blue Devil Brynlee Myrick would get fouled and sink one of her free throws. Trailing 52-50 with just seconds left, Cullman fumbled the ball in the paint, attempting to call a timeout but referees ruled a jump ball in favor of Mortimer Jordan, sealing the game.
Leading the Lady Bearcats was Wilson with 19 points, followed by Hoffman’s nine and Dorough and Ugarkovich’s eight.
The Lady Bearcats are six years removed from their last area title, but head coach Tammy West looks every bit of the part of the coach to get them over the hump in her first year at the helm after a 21-7 regular season. Cullman will go on to play a sub-regional game on Friday night, with the matchup to be determined after tomorrow night’s games.
