SPRING HILL ? The people wearing purple who packed Spring Hill High finally got to chant “state, state, state” in the final seconds of Saturday’s Class 4A sub-state championship game.

But for the second straight year, it will be Spring Hill purple — not Baldwin purple — that will shine in Salina at the state tournament. The Broncos overcame a five-point deficit in the final 53 seconds of regulation and went on a 10-2 run in overtime to defeat the Bulldogs, 54-46.

“We all thought we had it,” said Kayla Pringle, who helped Baldwin erase a seven-point deficit by scoring six of her eight points in the fourth quarter. “But they hit a couple of easy shots, and we couldn’t get back in the game.”

Baldwin (20-2) could have won in the final seconds of regulation. Emily Brown, who scored a game-high 18 points, drove the lane and shot, but missed over three defenders.

There appeared to be enough contact to warrant a foul, but Baldwin coach Eric Toot said he didn’t expect a whistle.

“You’re not going to get bailed out by a call in that situation,” said Toot, whose Bulldogs’ only two losses came to Spring Hill. “We just couldn’t come up with a stop in the overtime.”

The Bulldogs couldn’t contain the emotional swing, either.

Spring Hill's Jessica Hocker, left, applies pressure to Baldwin High's Kari Garrison. The Bulldogs lost to the Broncos, 54-46 in overtime, Saturday night in their Class 4A sub-state championship game at Spring Hill.

Spring Hill freshman Lacey Cunningham, who tied the game in regulation with 14.8 seconds remaining, put the Broncos back on top, 47-44, with a layup and free throw at the beginning of overtime.

“I just had a strange feeling all day that the game would come down on my shoulders,” said Cunningham, who scored 15 points Saturday. “I’m just glad I got the job done.”

Cunningham’s second basket of OT wasn’t the killer — senior Jessica Hocker’s ensuing three-pointer was. Hocker tallied a game-high 16 points.

Brown fouled out, and Pringle was the only Bulldog to score as Spring Hill outscored Baldwin 10-2 in overtime.

“We didn’t do the one thing that we had done all season tonight,” Toot said, “and that was shoot it.”

Baldwin High's Anna Skaggs, middle, looks to pass around Spring Hill's Megan Sullivan, left, and Josie Gehrt. The Bulldogs lost in overtime, 54-46, Saturday in their sub-state final at Spring Hill.

Baldwin, which made seven three-pointers in its semifinal blowout Friday against Kansas City Ward, went 0-for-12 behind the arc Saturday and only shot 35 percent overall. The Bulldogs were outrebounded, 39-31.

Seniors Pringle, Anna Skaggs, who scored 13 points, and Katie Martin endured losses only six times in the past two years, and Spring Hill was responsible for five.

“I don’t know if that was the state championship game,” Toot said. “But it was definitely a state-championship caliber game. And as long as the association (KSHSAA) doesn’t change the seeding in sub-state, this will be the way it goes.”

Spring Hill boys 67, Eudora 48

Eudora High's Andrew Bell, left, drives past Spring Hill's Richard Hannah for a layup. The Cardinals lost, 67-48, to the Broncos Saturday in their sub-state final at Spring Hill.

Spring Hill’s success Saturday spilled over for the boys, when the fourth-seeded Broncos beat second-seeded Eudora (15-8).

“Spring Hill just came out with an aggression that took us out of our game, and we couldn’t ever get going,” Eudora coach Scott Stein said.

The Broncos led, 10-7, after the first quarter and built a 25-13 lead in the second.

Eudora cut the deficit to seven midway through the third quarter, but Spring Hill pushed the lead back to 20. Senior Richard Hannah scored 25 points for the Broncos.

Eudora was led by senior Kaleb Niedens’ 13 points.

“Offensively, I didn’t have an answer for us,” Stein said. “And it certainly didn’t help that we were in their house.”