Baldwin senior Macey Frost makes a move past a Parsons defender during the sub-state championship Saturday afternoon at BHS on March 2, 2019.

Baldwin girls basketball coach Bob Martin wasn’t always certain his team would get back to the state tournament.

Despite returning a good nucleus from last year’s team, Martin knew players would have to step up and embrace larger roles in order for BHS to succeed. The Bulldogs also had to form an identity on the defensive end.

After some growing pains early in the season, that’s exactly what happened. Baldwin, which won a state title last year, is headed to the state tournament for the fourth time in five seasons. BHS, the No. 3 seed, will face No. 6 Ulysses (18-4) at 4:45 p.m. Thursday at Tony’s Pizza Events Center in Salina.

“We thought we would be competitive, since we had to replace a lot of good girls from last year,” Martin said. “We thought we’d be a good team. This good? I don’t really know, you can’t anticipate that. I’ve just been happy with their progress all year.”

The Baldwin girls basketball team won another sub-state title Saturday afternoon at BHS on March 2, 2019. It marks the team’s fourth sub-state championship victory in five years.

Baldwin’s 19-1 record doesn’t indicate there were any signs of struggle this season, but this team really hit its stride during the Wellsville tournament in late January.

After rolling over two opponents en route to the championship game of the midseason tournament, the Bulldogs were put to the test against Nemaha Central. Baldwin was resilient on the defensive end, securing a 47-46 victory to earn its first title of the season.

It was one of just two wins this year that Bulldogs won by single digits.

“It is just so fun playing with this team,” senior Macey Frost said. “The Nemaha Central game, we got down by 10. We never got down on ourselves, we always kept playing. That’s when we figured out we are a good defensive team.”

In the regular season, the Bulldogs allowed an average of 36 points per game. Only three teams in all of Class 4A surrendered fewer points per contest.

That suffocating defense was on full display against Parsons in the sub-state championship Saturday afternoon at BHS. Junior Josie Boyle played prolific defense on a quick ball-handler, though multiple players got an opportunity to contain her due to the team’s switch-everything philosophy.

Before every game, the Bulldogs have rules they try to follow on the defensive end. They want to hold teams to under 40 percent shooting, and they make sure to have strong help-side defense.

“Our saying is that we will always find enough points,” senior Kayla Kurtz said. “We just have to get stops on the defensive end.”

Baldwin junior Anna Burnett drives by a Parsons defender on a fast break during Saturday’s sub-state title game at BHS on March 2, 2019.

Baldwin leans on a balanced attack to get enough points on the offensive end.

Against Parsons, junior Anna Burnett led the team with 14 points. Senior Kate Ogle and Frost each scored 8 points, while Kurtz netted 9 points. It was a similar box score to the previous 19 games, which is completely different to how Baldwin produced points last year.

Abby Ogle, who graduated last year, shouldered a huge load on offense to help lift Baldwin to a state title in Class 4A-II. This season, opposing defenses can’t key on any one player. The Bulldogs have multiple players capable of putting up double figures, and they rely on their speed to get to the rim.

“If somebody is having a bad game, we can help them out,” Kurtz said. “Coming into this season, we knew we were going to play more as a team instead of relying on one person. I think we have really done that.”

That’s exactly why Baldwin is flying under the radar, despite claiming a state title last year.

Since all of Class 4A is combined this season, Kansas City Piper is the top seed with a 21-0 record. Bishop Miege, which has won four of the previous five titles in Class 4A-I, is also 21-0 and would likely be Baldwin’s opponent in the semifinals.

“To come back and win state again would be awesome, especially as a senior,” Kurtz said.