Baker junior wide receiver Cornell Brown breaks free for a 37-yard run in the second quarter of the Wildcats' 44-21 win over Sterling Saturday at Liston Stadium in the first round of the NAIA playoffs.

Baldwin City ? In a matchup of two of the NAIA’s top passing offenses in Baker and Sterling, BU junior wide receiver Cornell Brown did not want to leave any doubt of which team had the most potent attack through the air in Saturday’s first-round NAIA playoff game at Liston Stadium.

Brown hauled in touchdown passes of 38 and 30 yards from junior quarterback Logan Brettell in the first six minutes, and the No. 2-ranked Wildcats never trailed in a 44-21 victory over the Warriors. It was Baker’s second first-round victory over Sterling in the past four years.

“I thought that was big,” Baker coach Mike Grossner said of the 14-0 start. “For us to get on top and establish ourselves gave us confidence all day offensively.”

Brown — a Baldwin High product — corralled a team-high seven catches for 84 yards, and also led the Wildcats on the ground with 187 yards and two touchdowns on 19 carries to earn offensive player of the game honors.

“I think offensively we played well all around today,” Brown said. “The ground game, it was kind of slow at first and we just kept punching, kept punching, and I think they got tired. Our tempo helped with that a lot, and we capitalized.”

Brown’s first running touchdown pushed Baker’s lead to 24-0 with 14:13 remaining in the second quarter, but Sterling did not go quietly. The Warriors scored two unanswered touchdowns to cut the deficit to 24-14 at the break.

TJ Brown — the NAIA leader in receptions and receiving yards — showed off his versatility by scoring on a reverse play that resulted in a 3-yard touchdown run. Sterling No. 2 receiver Nathan Frame then caught a 16-yard touchdown pass from Dentton Hudspeth less than three minutes later to pull the Warriors within 10.

The Baker offense attempted to regain momentum going into the half, but Brettell threw his second interception in the end zone with 27 seconds left in the second quarter. The Wildcats had three first-half turnovers, but Grossner knew the Wildcats were still in good shape as long as they remained confident.

“I got into them a little bit, and just said, ‘Hey, play to win. We’re up 24-14, and we’re acting like we’re down 20,'” Grossner said. “I could just feel body language was off. I said, ‘Go out and play the way you know how to play, and don’t make mistakes. Don’t shoot yourself in the foot.'”

The Wildcats answered their coach’s call by scoring on their first two drives of the third quarter to push the lead to 34-14. Senior Clarence Clark drilled a 21-yard field goal for the first points of the second half, and the Baker defense was quick to get the ball back to Brettell and company by forcing a three and out. After a Sterling punt, Brettell hit Jaylen Rose for a 38-yard strike for his third touchdown pass. Brettell completed 25-of-32 for 311 yards.

“Great teams respond and turn it around when things aren’t going their way. I want to see our team turn around quicker,” Grossner said. “When we’re on, we’re good. But we can sure do some stupid stuff, and we’ve got to clean that up this week. At this time of year, you win and advance.”

The Baker defense was able to lock in after the break as well. Eudora alumnus Nick Becker led the Wildcats’ front four with four sacks and seven tackles for loss. Defensive tackles Josh Kock and Nick Shondell added a half-sack apiece.

“Our physicality took its tole in this game,” Grossner said. “That’s what I’m proud of. We didn’t play clean, but I thought we played hard.”

The pressure on Sterling quarterbacks Cedrick Phillips and Dentton Hudspeth allowed the Baker secondary and linebacking corps to keep tight coverage on TJ Brown. The down-field threat caught 10 passes, but was held to 87 yards and a touchdown.

“No. 2 (Brown), he’s a very good player. He’s pretty fast and slippery, but we got the job done,” BU linebacker Akim Francis, who had two of the Wildcats’ three interceptions, said. “We tightened up at halftime, and we made our corrections at halftime and came out and shut him down.”

Baker improved to 12-0 and reached the NAIA quarterfinals for the second straight season. The Wildcats lost to Southern Oregon last year at home in the quarterfinals, and Francis said the Wildcats will be focused to make sure history doesn’t repeat itself Saturday.

“I’m feeling really good, but not satisfied at all. Last year, we got knocked out second round and we really took that to heart starting off in the summer,” Francis said. “Next week, we’re going to be very prepared and very well-coached. We’re going to be ready.”

The Wildcats will find out their quarterfinal opponent at 10 a.m. Sunday.