Park City ? The Baldwin High girls’ relentless full-court pressure broke Girard in the third quarter as the Bulldogs rolled Thursday to a 61-44 victory in the first round of the 4A Division II state basketball tournament.

Baldwin has worn down opponents all year with a combination of full-court pressure defense, a fast-break offense and depth.

It proved to be a winning formula again Thursday in Hartman Arena.

The Bulldogs’ press forced six straight turnovers in a two-minute span in the third quarter, including three consecutive that led to layups.

“We wore them down a little bit,” Bulldogs coach Bob Martin said. “That’s what we talked about at halftime, to keep pushing it at them, and eventually they would break. And they did.”

Baldwin’s 6-foot senior forward Maddie Ogle started the third-quarter surge with six points in the period’s first four minutes, giving Baldwin a 38-32 lead. Her sister, freshman Abby Ogle, then scored two consecutive layups off steals. When junior Madeline Neufeld finished the run with a basket after yet another Girard miscue with two minutes to play in the third, the Bulldogs had a comfortable 46-32 lead.

Sophomore Taylor Cawley ended any hopes Girard had for a comeback with two straight three-pointers at the end of the third quarter and start of the fourth, giving Baldwin a 52-34 lead.

Girard had Baldwin on the ropes early, scoring the first seven points and leading 11-2 after the first four minutes as all five Girard starters scored.

Meanwhile, Baldwin was having trouble solving the Trojans’ zone and getting anything working inside against 6-3 sophomore Ashley Ray. Baldwin did battle back to get within three at 15-12 at the quarter’s end behind six points from Maddie Ogle and four from her sister, Abby.

Martin said he expected Girard to start fast.

“Every time I saw them, they came out strong,” he said. “I was hoping they wouldn’t come out quite that strong, but we were able to hang in there and get things turned around by the end of the first quarter.”

The Trojans’ fast start was scary, said Maddie Ogle, who finished with a game-high 18 points.

“They came out hot; they came out ready,” she said. “It took us awhile to get into their zone, like it always does. Once we get in there, we get free throws, and then we get rolling again.

“In the third quarter, our press was awesome. My sister, Kyna (Smith) and Madeline (Neufeld) all did a good job.”

The Bulldogs started solving the zone in the second quarter behind junior guard Kyna Smith, who had 13 points in the quarter, including two three-pointers.

With the win, Baldwin (20-3) will move on to play Concordia, a 66-48 winner against Wichita Trinity Academy. The game will tip off at 6:30 tonight.

Baldwin 12 19 18 12 — 61

Girard 15 15 4 10 — 44

Baldwin — Fayth Peterson 1, Emma Stewart 2. Abby Ogle 10, Taylor Cawley 6, Kyna Smith 15, Corey Valentine 2, Alexia Stein 1, Maddie Ogle 18, Madeline Neufeld 2, Courtney Douglas 2, Jordan Hoffman.

Girard — Olivia Hanson 7, Calea Augustin 10, Megan Gray 6, Jacey Murphy 2, Sydnee Crain 7, MaCahla Leslie 2, Ashley Ray 10.

Class 3A Boys

Wellsville 59, Osage City 51

Hutchinson — Dalton Verhulst scored 26 points, Cole Silsby added 14, and Wellsville won its quarterfinal game in the Class 3A state tournament.

Wellsville (20-4) will meet Scott City (23-1) in the semifinals at 4:45 p.m. today.

Wellsville 13 17 10 19 — 59

Osage City 7 17 13 14 — 51

Wellsville — Tyler Brown 5, Cole Silsby 14, Dalton Verhulst 26, Jared Klamm 6, Trajen Smith 8.

Osage City — Ryan Haskins 24, J.T. Lincoln 2, Duncan Fort 21, Jake Butterfield 2.