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Murray • Thursday's game pitting Region 3 counterparts Cottonwood and Jordan, on the Colts' home floor, may seem insignificant now, but it could have postseason implications.

Copper Hills, Taylorsville and Bingham almost assuredly will qualify for the postseason from Region 3, leaving Brighton, Cottonwood, Jordan and West Jordan vying for the final spot.

Both the Colts and Beetdiggers entered the game 0-2 in league play, one game behind the Bengals, who are in fourth place. Therefore, losing another game this early in the season could create an intensely steep climb toward the playoffs.

And now the Beetdiggers have one less hurdle after dispatching the Colts, 40-30.

"We have to get six out of the next 10 for us to have a chance to get to the tournament, so that's a big one," said Jordan coach Randy Olsen. "We're playing rough, but we at least got some momentum now."

Each team struggled mightily offensively, which made every position paramount. Cottonwood (2-9, 0-3) fell behind early, but scored the final four points in the first quarter to take a one-point lead, 7-6, after the first eight minutes. Senior guard Isamar Guzman knocked down two triples for the Colts in the period.

Jordan (4-7, 1-2) opened the second quarter on a 5-0 run with buckets from Collette Batty (game-high 13 points) and Allison Schindler as the 'Diggers held Cottonwood scoreless for a four-minute stretch before Hannah Anderson muscled up a layup inside and Jasmine Fleming rattled home a 3-pointer to recapture the lead for the Colts, 12-11.

Jordan closed the first half on an 8-1 run, highlighted by 3-pointers from Peyton Naylor and Sam Tuia (11 points), for a 19-13 advantage.

Jordan established a 31-17 cushion when Tuia beat the third-quarter buzzer on a second-chance opportunity immediately following two quick scores from Batty.

The Beetdiggers increased their advantage to 17 points in the fourth.

"We always feel like they know how to do that," Olsen said of his team's performance. "But then when you put them on the court, sometimes it's not quite the same thing as what you coached. So it's a little bit of grit, a little bit of confidence. That's what they needed tonight."

Twitter: @trevorphibbs —

Jordan 40, Cottonwood 30

R Jordan gets the upper hand for playoff positioning against Cottonwood.

• The Beetdiggers use an 8-1 run at the end of the second quarter to take control.

• Collette Batty drops a game-high 13 points for Jordan.