Mac Moore/Lawrence Sports

Eudora’s Payton Lewis scores 17 points as the Cardinals earn a 19-point road victory over Baldwin on Jan. 9 at Baldwin Junior High School. This is a photo of Lewis from Eudora’s game against Tonganoxie on Jan. 2.

BALDWIN CITY — The Eudora Cardinals opened their Frontier League rivalry game matchup against host Baldwin Bulldogs on a 26-8 run en route to a convincing 62-43 victory Friday night.

Freshman guard Payton Lewis keyed Eudora’s well-balanced scoring attack in the early-going — pouring in 10 points in the opening frame, while knocking down a pair of 3-pointers.

Sparked by the play of sophomore guard Cami Collum, Baldwin found some offensive rhythm midway through the second quarter — using an 11-3 spurt to slice its deficit to 29-19 at the half.

Eudora head coach Brandon Parker said his squad was a bit gassed over the final few minutes of the second quarter, but noted that they also missed at least four point-blank lay-in attempts during that stretch.

“We allowed some things we probably didn’t want to give up, and didn’t finish the first half strong,” he said.

The Cardinals came out red-hot in the second half. As part of an extended run, a triple from junior guard Brynn Deterding, a transition lay-in from sophomore guard Avah Dye and another Lewis 3-ball stretched Eudora’s advantage to 41-24.

The Cardinals held a commanding 47-28 lead through three quarters of play, as the teams played to a 15-15 draw in the final frame.

Parker was particularly pleased with Eudora’s stifling defensive performance, holding Baldwin to under 20 percent shooting from the field, while forcing 18 turnovers that frequently led to transition points on the other end.

The Cardinals also hammered the Bulldogs on the offensive glass, leading to many second-chance scoring opportunities in the paint.

“I thought defensively we were pretty tough all night,” Parker said. “Overall, I was pleased with everyone and how hard they competed.

The Cardinals have looked sharp in practice of late, Parker said.

“Our effort and intensity have looked really good in practice, and that’s translating onto the court,” he said. “We’re also getting healthy.”

Lewis finished with a game-high 17 points — including three 3-pointers, while sophomore guard Jayla Colter added 12 points, five rebounds, three assists and two steals — with half of her offensive output coming in the final frame. Deterding also chipped in 12 points, while sophomore guard Karley Owens, Dye, and junior guard Izzy Brunkow combined for 21 points.

Colter lauded her teammates for their unselfish play, pointing to the Cardinals’ ability to efficiently distribute the rock throughout the contest.

“We did a good job of finding each other and kicking the ball to open teammates,” Colter said. “We were also really connecting on defense, getting in the gaps and helping, and staying on our shooters.”

Deterding said that she and her teammates were hyped for the rivalry matchup.

“It’s always good to come in and play our rival school and win by 20 points,” she said. “Even when our shots weren’t falling, we found other ways to score.”

Baldwin head coach Kara Roland said she was pleased with her club’s effort after falling behind early.

“We played hard until the end, they did what we asked, and I’m just proud of what we did,” she said. “Eudora has great players all around, so our gameplan coming in was to stay disciplined and play great defense.”

For Baldwin, Collum recorded a team-high 14 points, while junior guard Emme Nigh added eight. Senior guard Chloe Neufeld and junior forward Audrey Searl chipped in seven points apiece.

Eudora (7-1) returns to the court for a home tilt with Bonner Springs, while Baldwin (3-6) hosts Ottawa, on Tuesday.