Throughout the postseason, the Baldwin boys basketball team had to put together dramatic rallies on multiple occasions. The Bulldogs overcame an 11-point halftime deficit in their substate championship against Paola, and on Saturday night at Hutchinson Sports Arena in the 4A state championship, they needed to climb out of a 10-point hole.

Time and time again, the Bulldogs (22-6) chipped away and made timely shots, including a tie-breaking 3-pointer by senior Devyn Wadel with 40 seconds remaining, to help Baldwin to its first championship in school history. The Bulldogs took down top-seeded St. George-Rock Creek (27-1) by a score of 66-60.

It was their second consecutive victory over a previously unbeaten opponent. Baldwin placed four scorers into double figures, all seniors, in the state championship game, led by 19 points from Leo Schoenberger, while Wadel added 17 with five made 3s, Cooper Carr chipped in 13 points, and Colton Collum added 10.

Baldwin got off to a slow start offensively, falling behind 15-6 after a buzzer-beating 3-pointer by Rock Creek capped off an 8-0 run to end the first quarter.

The Mustangs made a free throw to extend their lead to 10 early in the second quarter, but throughout the period, the Bulldogs got a spark from Wadel, who made three 3-pointers to help the Bulldogs take a 24-23 lead into the locker room.

Collum and Schoenberger helped Baldwin extend that margin to three points with buckets in the early stages of the third quarter before a 7-0 run gave Rock Creek a 32-28 lead.

The Mustangs continued to play tough defense and hit clutch shots the rest of the quarter, including a 3-pointer with 22 seconds left in the period to take a 48-39 advantage into the fourth.

Facing yet another deficit, Baldwin got itself back into the game with the first four points of the fourth quarter. After a bucket by Rock Creek, a seven-point spurt by Baldwin helped tie the game at 50.

Both squads traded buckets down the stretch, but Wadel made two clutch 3s, capped off by the go-ahead shot in the final minute, to put the Bulldogs in front for good. Schoenberger added two points at the free-throw line to make it a five-point game, and the Bulldogs added three more free throws in total to clinch the state championship.

Led by head coach Don Blanchat, Baldwin finished the season with a title in its first-ever trip beyond the state semifinals. The Bulldogs sent out seniors Carr, Schoenberger, Collum, Wadel, Jackson Rood, Homer Rice, Ethan Smasal, and Carter Trybom with one final win on the biggest stage of their careers.