photo by: David Rodish/Journal-World

Baldwin junior Cooper Carr tucks the ball in a 54-41 win over Field Kindley in the substate championship at Baldwin on Friday, March 7, 2025.

Baldwin City — With 3 minutes, 52 seconds left in the boys basketball substate championship, the Field Kindley Golden Tornado scored a layup to make it a 45-41 Baldwin lead.

The Bulldogs didn’t allow a point after that and won 54-41 to punch their ticket to the 4A state tournament in Salina.

“We got a really nice win against a good team,” Baldwin coach Don Blanchat said. “The big thing going in was no live-ball turnovers — we struggled with that all year. Defensively, I feel really confident in who we are and what we do. It’s just, are we going to take care of the ball? Are we going to finish around the rim? We did that today.”

The win was particularly special because it happened at home for the third straight year. Blanchat said the fans and atmosphere at ‘The Dog House’ impact the team. After the game, the Bulldogs cut the net from their two hoops.

“This is why you put the work in to get two home games,” Blanchat said. “The home-court advantage is huge for us.”

The game was physical from the start, even with the Golden Tornado coming off an overtime win in the first substate round the day before. Both teams attacked the paint on offense and had a few shots rim out at the start of the game.

“Credit to (Field Kindley), they dirtied up the game early and made it physical,” junior Cooper Carr said. “They played really hard. They’re a well-coached team. We knew it was going to be physical — it’s a substate championship game, it’s always going to be that way.”

Junior Leo Schoenberger led the Bulldogs with an and-1 midway through the quarter. The Golden Tornado made it a one-point game, but Carr responded with five-straight points, including a layup after he got a steal on defense and took it coast-to-coast.

Carr and Schoenberger led the team in scoring and were often the go-to guys when the team needed a bucket. Both also were key rebounders on the offensive glass. Carr finished with 20 points, and Schoenberger had 14.

The Bulldogs finished the quarter up 13-11 and held the lead for the first few minutes of the second quarter. The Golden Tornado took a one-point lead with less than two minutes left in the half before junior Ethan Smasal hit a 3, and the Bulldogs finished on a 6-0 run.

Baldwin held a lead of around five points through most of the third quarter, with Carr and Schoenberger producing most of the team’s points. The Golden Tornado held the Bulldogs scoreless for the final minute and 20 seconds and cut an eight-point deficit to four points.

The game continued with Baldwin holding a four-point lead for the first half of the final quarter before the Bulldogs finished the game with their defense and free-throw shooting. The Bulldogs had 10 free-throw attempts in the final four minutes and hit nine of them. The Golden Tornado ran out of gas and missed field goals and free throws.

The defense has been the key for Baldwin all season. Carr said it has become the team’s identity to get consecutive stops to build momentum.

“Once you start building that, you can shut a team down,” Carr said.

This was the third straight year the Bulldogs hosted a substate championship and won. In 2023, the Bulldogs lost to Eudora in the first round, and the team finished fourth last year. They enter the tournament 18-4, determined to finish on top after back-to-back seasons ending in Salina.

“We’re hungry, we’re ready to get back to Salina and win some tournament games,” Schoenberger said.

photo by: David Rodish/Journal-World

Baldwin junior Leo Schoenberger shoots a 3 in a 54-41 win over Field Kindley during the substate championship at Baldwin on Friday, March 7, 2025.

photo by: David Rodish/Journal-World

Baldwin junior Ethan Smasal passes to the corner during Baldwin’s 54-41 substate championship win over Field Kindley at Baldwin on Friday, March 7, 2025.