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Baldwin’s Cooper Carr goes up for a layup during a boys basketball game against Bishop Seabury on Jan. 20 at Baldwin Junior High School.
Containing Cooper Carr on the hardwood is easier said than done.
The Bishop Seabury Seahawks found that out the hard way as the Baldwin Bulldogs’ star guard stuffed the stat-sheet during Tuesday night’s 64-35 romp in opening-round play of the Baldwin Invitational Tournament.
Carr wreaked havoc on both ends of the court, falling just one assist shy of his first career triple-double. His sparkling stat line read: 16 points, 10 rebounds, nine assists, and three steals.
Carr’s reverse lay-in early in the first quarter handed the Bulldogs a 4-2 lead. Freshman point guard Quintin Taylor quickly replied with a 3-pointer to put the Seahawks on top.
Carr, who entered the contest with a team-leading 34 steals, added to his tally while converting a backcourt theft into a fastbreak bucket for a 6-5 lead. Carr then showed off his court vision, threading a no-look pass to forward Leo Schoenberger for the easy layup and a three-point lead. On the other end, Bishop Seabury sharpshooter Jace Hoffman knocked down a 3-pointer to knot the contest at 8 as the early seesaw battle continued.
The Bulldogs then used an 11-4 run over the final four minutes of the first quarter to go in front 19-12. While Carr is the straw that stirs the drink for the Bulldogs, it was Schoenberger who concluded the opening frame with 10 points and three offensive rebounds.
The second quarter opened with Carr swooping into the lane for a high-flying rebound and putback at the rim. On the Bulldogs’ ensuing possession, Carr found a cutting Colton Collum for the back-door bucket and a 23-12 lead.
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Bishop Seabury’s Quintin Taylor goes up for a layup during a boys basketball game against Baldwin on Jan. 20 at Baldwin Junior High School.
Taylor’s second triple of the contest sliced the Seahawks’ deficit to 25-17, but the Bulldogs quickly increased their advantage to 12 after receiving back-to-back scores from Collum and Schoenberger.
A 5-0 spurt, capped by AJ Campbell’s traditional 3-point play, drew the Seahawks to 29-22, but that was the closest they would get the remainder of the way.
Trailing 32-24 at the half, the Seahawks seemed to lack the competitiveness they displayed during the opening 16 minutes of play, managing just two shots from the field over the first four minutes of the third quarter. After switching from a man-to-man to a 2-3 zone defense, Bishop Seabury held the Bulldogs scoreless over the opening 2:20 of the second half.
But the levee eventually broke for the Seahawks.
Jackson Rood’s slashing drive and drop-off pass to Collum for the lay-in capped a quick 6-0 spurt for Baldwin. That was followed by Devyn Waddle’s 3-pointer from the right wing, padding Baldwin’s cushion as the Bulldogs seized a 41-24 lead.
The Seahawks sputtered on the offensive end — finishing the third quarter 0-of-10 from the field as they fell behind 47-24. The Bulldogs continued to pour it on in the fourth quarter, using an extended 29-3 run to go in front by 61-37 with 3:35 remaining in regulation. At that point, and with the running clock activated, Baldwin emptied its bench en route to the convincing victory.
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Baldwin’s Cooper Carr and Colton Collum battle with Seabury’s Marion Stubbs for a rebound during a boys basketball game on Jan. 20 at Baldwin Junior High School.
Carr said he was displeased by the team’s defensive performance in the first half, a message he said was echoed by the coaching staff at halftime.
“Coach was talking about how it looked like we didn’t want to be out there, and he probably wasn’t all wrong,” Carr said. “Because we’ve got some guys who need to step up, who need to take initiative on defense.”
The Bulldogs responded by holding the Seahawks to just 16 percent shooting on 3 of 18 from the field over the final 16 minutes of regulation, and 11 total points for the half.
“That’s where we build our identity, and that’s what’s going to win us games in March,” Carr said, adding that “taking initiative on defense opens up our offense.”
As noted by Carr, Baldwin head coach Donald Blanchat was not entirely pleased with his club’s performance in the first half. But Blanchat eventually came around after his club tightened the defensive screws in the second half.
“We did a better job of boxing out and rebounding,” he said.
The Bulldogs also harassed the Seahawks into committing 13 turnovers.
“We wanted to get up and pressure (Taylor and Hoffman) and make their other guys beat us,” Blanchat said.
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Bishop Seabury head coach Trey Johnson talks with his players Jace Hoffman and Quintin Taylor during a break in the action of a boys basketball game against Baldwin on Jan. 20 at Baldwin Junior High School.
Bishop Seabury head coach Trey Johnson said that his squad seemed dejected after a sluggish start to the third quarter.
“We came out with zero energy in the second half,” he said. “(Baldwin) hit a couple shots, and then we somehow lost more of that energy that we didn’t already have.”
Johnson also lauded the Bulldogs as having a “top-tier” defense spearheaded by “very large” guards who guard the perimeter with physicality. He added that Baldwin is very adept at switching defenders, “forcing you to play perfect offense.”
Bishop Seabury assistant coach Tyshawn Taylor said he was pleased with the Seahawks’ first-half performance.
“We competed hard,” he said.
Taylor, who received four seasons of tutelage under KU head coach Bill Self, said the team had yet to experience this type of adversity after having posted seven double-digit victories to open its campaign.
“We have a young team that can learn a bunch from this,” Taylor said. “You can play badly and win, and not learn a thing — but lose by 30 and come back and compete really hard.
“(Baldwin) is probably better than us. But 30 points better than us? I don’t think so.”
In addition to Carr’s transcendent performance, Schoenberger dropped in a game-high 23 points. Collum provided a nice boost, adding 12 points, while Wadel connected on two 3-pointers to finish with six.
For the Seahawks, Quintin Taylor tallied a team-high 14 points, knocking down a trio of 3-pointers. Campbell finished with six points. Hoffman, who entered the contest averaging 25 points per game, was held to just five.
Bishop Seabury senior forward Marion Stubbs entered the night averaging 12 points and 10 rebounds per contest, but was held to just two points while fouling out with 5:35 remaining in regulation.
The Bulldogs (10-2) resume play in the round-robin tournament at 7 p.m. Friday against Wellsville, followed by a 2:30 p.m. Saturday clash with Topeka-Hayden. The Seahawks (8-3) are set to square off with Hayden at 5:30 p.m. on Friday and Wellsville at 1 p.m. Saturday.
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Baldwin’s Leo Schoenberger starts to jump into the air for a layup during a boys basketball game against Bishop Seabury on Jan. 20 at Baldwin Junior High School.
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Bishop Seabury’s Jace Hoffman comes down with a rebound during a boys basketball game against Baldwin on Jan. 20 at Baldwin Junior High School.
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Baldwin’s Colton Collum splits a pair of defenders and fires off a layup attempt during a boys basketball game against Bishop Seabury on Jan. 20 at Baldwin Junior High School.
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Bishop Seabury’s Quintin Taylor gets helped to his feet by teammate Marion Stubbs during a boys basketball game against Baldwin on Jan. 20 at Baldwin Junior High School.
Mac Moore/Lawrence Sports
Baldwin’s student section get loud in response to the Bulldogs sending in their reserves late in a boys basketball game against Bishop Seabury on Jan. 20 at Baldwin Junior High School.
Mac Moore/Lawrence Sports
Bishop Seabury assistant coach Tyshawn Taylor covers his face in response to a play during a boys basketball game against Baldwin on Jan. 20 at Baldwin Junior High School.
