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Baldwin players celebrate a basket during a boys basketball game against Field Kindley on March 4 at Baldwin Junior High School.
The Baldwin boys’ 70-23 wipeout victory over the visiting Coffeyville Field Kindley on Wednesday moves the Bulldogs to the Class 4A sub-state championship game and a matchup with Paola on Saturday.
“We came out ready,” Baldwin head coach Donald Blanchat said. “We’ve won the last three games against pretty good opponents, and we’ve just been climbing a little bit.”
The contest opened with a Leo Schoenberger fastbreak layup, followed by a Cooper Carr triple from the left corner as the Bulldogs led 5-2. From there, Baldwin proceeded to go on an extended 32-2 run that resulted in a 37-4 halftime advantage.
“Holding them to four points was a huge statement for us,” Blanchat said.
Carr and Schoenberger did most of the heavy lifting for the Bulldogs in the first half, combining for 24 points.
The third quarter was much of the same. Seniors Devyn Wadel and Jackson Rood got in on the scoring action, heating up from 3-point land as the Bulldogs built a 54-9 lead.
Baldwin emptied its bench in the fourth quarter as nine players broke into the scoring column en route to the 47-point demolition.
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Baldwin’s Leo Schoenberger shoots a layup over two defenders during a boys basketball game against Field Kindley on March 4 at Baldwin Junior High School.
Schoenberger said the team is peaking at the right time.
“We’ve had a little adversity this season, so it’s good that we came out strong tonight,” he said. “We weren’t playing our best basketball in January and February, but we’re getting into our best basketball in March when it matters, so I’m excited.”
Schoenberger said the team gained confidence after notching a thrilling 54-52 victory over previously undefeated Class 5A Bonner Springs in the Bulldogs’ regular-season finale.
“We’re building a lot of momentum,” he said.
Carr said he didn’t necessarily expect to steamroll the Golden Tornado in that fashion, but added that he never takes a sub-state victory for granted.
“We’ve been here before and know what it takes to get out of the first round,” he said.
Looking ahead to the Paola matchup, Carr said it will boil down “to the little things.” The teams have squared off twice this season, splitting their matchups. Paola’s victory over Baldwin came in early December when Carr, the team’s leading scorer, was sidelined with injury.
“Paola is a very physical team,” Carr said. “They know us, we know them. So it’s going to come down to the little hustle plays. That’s what decides games in March.”
Mac Moore/Lawrence Sports
Baldwin’s Cooper Carr shoots a layup off the backboard during a boys basketball game against Field Kindley on March 4 at Baldwin Junior High School.
Carr and Schoenberger tied for a team-high 17 points. Wadel chipped in 11 while Colton Collum added eight. Also making offensive contributions for the Bulldogs were Jackson Wheeler, Gavin Brittingham, Homer Rice, Rood, and Tucker Flory.
Carr said he was elated to see some of the deeper bench players get into the scoring column.
“That’s why I love these first-round games,” he said. “It’s rewarding to see those guys who put in work every day in practice get their moment.”
Baldwin (18-6) will host Paola (15-9) at 5 p.m. Saturday in the sub-state final.
The winner will play in the state quarterfinals on March 11 at one of seven neutral site locations: United Wireless Arena in Dodge City, Tony’s Pizza Events Center in Salina, Mabee Center in Salina, Koch Arena in Wichita, Garvey Center in Wichita, White Auditorium in Emporia, or KCKCC Fieldhouse in Kansas City.
The site will be decided using the traditional way of creating the state bracket with the eight sub-state winners being matched up based on record.
However, instead of using the same site as the 4A semifinals and finals, which is Hutchinson Community College this year, these quarterfinal games will be played in the closest of those neutral site locations based on proximity to the higher seed, except in cases where the lower seed is more than 250 miles away from that site.
In the case of the latter, the game will instead be played at a centrally-located site.
The Kansas State High School Activities Association gives no further explanation or criteria for what a central location means in this context nor how that will be decided, other than no more than five games will be played in a single day at any of the quarterfinal sites.
Editor’s note: We wish there was a way to describe, in a clear and concise manner, where this 4A state quarterfinal game will possibly be played. We tried our best.
Mac Moore/Lawrence Sports
Baldwin players wait to check into the game during a boys basketball game against Field Kindley on March 4 at Baldwin Junior High School.
Mac Moore/Lawrence Sports
Baldwin’s Devyn Wadel goes up for a layup during a boys basketball game against Field Kindley on March 4 at Baldwin Junior High School.
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Baldwin’s Gavin Brittingham goes up for a layup as multiple defenders close in on him during a boys basketball game against Field Kindley on March 4 at Baldwin Junior High School.
Mac Moore/Lawrence Sports
Baldwin’s student section celebrates a big play during a boys basketball game against Field Kindley on March 4 at Baldwin Junior High School.
