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Baldwin’s Leo Schoenberger against Paola during a boys basketball game on Dec. 5 at Baldwin Junior High School.
With star guard Cooper Carr sidelined, the Baldwin Bulldogs came up just short in a 58-52 season-opening loss against the visiting Paola Panthers Friday night.
Carr, a two-time all-state first team selection is grappling with a lower leg injury sustained near the tailend of the soccer season, according to Baldwin head coach Donald Blanchat. He added that Carr’s recovery is trending in the right direction.
“He would have played if this was a game in February or March,” Blanchat said. “But our guys stepped up and battled all night long.”
Carr dazzled last season — averaging 18.5 points, six rebounds and five assists per game. That scoring prowess was sorely missed Friday night after Baldwin’s offense evaporated down the stretch.
With around four minutes remaining in regulation, Paola forward Hoyt Hoffine was whistled for a technical foul after emphatically dunking the ball and hanging on the rim. Hoffine’s slam knotted the contest at 47, but Baldwin ultimately capitalized on the miscue.
After connecting on one of two free throws, the Bulldogs also received possession as part of the technical foul — stretching the lead to 51-47 via senior Ethan Smasal’s 3-pointer from the right corner.
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Baldwin’s Ethan Smasal attempts a 3-pointer against Paola during a boys basketball game on Dec. 5 at Baldwin Junior High School.
The Bulldogs were unable to find any offensive rhythm the remainder of the way as they were held scoreless from the field over the final 3:55 of regulation.
“We didn’t move the ball as well as we had earlier in the game and were just settling for [lower percentage] shots,” Blanchat said.
The Bulldogs had an opportunity to regain the lead with under a minute remaining in regulation, but senior forward Colton Collum was off-target on a pair of free throws. On the ensuing possession, Paola sophomore guard Landon Murdoch’s knifing drive to the basket handed the Panthers a 54-52 lead with 25 ticks showing on the clock.
In dire need of a basket, Blanchat drew up an “underneath out-of-bounds” play designed to give either Collum or senior forward Leo Schoenberger a look from close-range after coming off screens. Collum wound up with the ball, but the heavily contested shot caromed off the rim and was rebounded by Paola. The Panthers then salted the game away from the charity stripe.
“There were two looks at the rim,” Blanchat said of the play. “We got the look we wanted, but just didn’t finish.”
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Baldwin’s Colton Collum attempts a 3-pointer against Paola during a boys basketball game on Dec. 5 at Baldwin Junior High School.
In the early-going, Paola jumped out to a 13-7 lead, but Baldwin replied with a 10-0 run to close the opening frame, capped by Schoenberger’s transition bucket. The Bulldogs stretched their advantage to 24-17 early in the second quarter.
Paola then tightened the screws defensively, holding the Bulldogs two just two points over the final five-plus minutes of the half. A Hoffine 3-pointer put the Panthers up 29-26 at intermission.
Paola opened the second half hot, building a 37-28 cushion, punctuated by Murdoch’s steal and coast-to-coast lay-in. For Baldwin, Schoenberger and Collum continued doing the heavy lifting offensively. A pair of 3-pointers from Collum, and a six-point flurry via back-to-back traditional 3-point plays by Schoenberger in the low post, trimmed Baldwin’s deficit to 43-42 entering the fourth.
The Bulldogs momentarily looked like they had regained the lead after burying a 3-pointer as the third quarter horn sounded, but the shot was waived off.
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Baldwin’s Colton Collum celebrates an And-1 opportunity created by Leo Schoenberger against Paola during a boys basketball game on Dec. 5 at Baldwin Junior High School.
Schoenberger opened the fourth quarter with another tough bucket from the interior and was again sent to the charity stripe, handing the Bulldogs a 45-43 lead. Junior guard Kreyton Frost’s short jumper pushed Baldwin’s advantage to 47-43, but the Bulldogs were outscored 15-5 over the final 6:27 of regulation.
“We’re early in the season, but our whole offensive package needs to evolve a little bit,” Blanchat said. “If we can get our shooters out in the corners where defenders have to stay out on them, that opens up the lane for Schoenberger, Collum — and, eventually, Cooper Carr.”
Schoenberger poured in a game-high 26 points, while knocking 9-of-10 free throws. Collum, meanwhile, chipped in 16 points, including four 3-pointers. For Paola, Murdoch finished with 24 points, while Hoffine added 18.
The Bulldogs square off with the Chanute Blue Comets in a non-conference road clash on Tuesday. Chanute (1-1) opened its season with a loss to Winfield, and followed with a blowout victory of Humboldt.
Blanchat indicated that Carr’s earliest targeted return-date is Baldwin’s Dec. 16 home game against Spring Hill.
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Baldwin’s Logan Scott attempts a 3-pointer against Paola during a boys basketball game on Dec. 5 at Baldwin Junior High School.
Mac Moore/Lawrence Sports
Baldwin’s Cooper Carr, left, celebrates a 3-point shot made by teammates Ethan Smasal against Paola during a boys basketball game on Dec. 5 at Baldwin Junior High School.
