The Emporia High School boys basketball team made a statement on Friday night when it defeated the third-ranked team in Class 4A and Centennial League foe Hayden, 57-53, at White Auditorium. 

“This team is different,” head coach Lee Baldwin said. “We’re bought in. The guys really like and believe in each other. They stayed positive when things weren’t looking good. And we just outworked them in the late third and fourth quarters." Emporia jumped out to a fast start, leading 17-10 after the first quarter and leading as much as 14 last in the first half. But Hayden went on a 9-0 run to go into the half trailing by five and began the third quarter with a 13-2 run to take a 38-32 lead. 

Hayden led by four as the third quarter came to an end, but Emporia tied the game at 45 on a pair of free throws from Parker Leeds. Emporia took the lead for good on a basket from River Peters that made it a 50-49 game and closed the game on a series of free throws. Despite the outcome, Baldwin felt his team could have played better offensively. 

Winning a game like this while not playing your best would make one wonder just how good this team can be. “We scored 57 points tonight and I didn’t think we played very well offensively,” Baldwin said. “Ninety-nine percent of coaches would like to have that problem. But it goes to the balance of our team. The first night, River and Jalyn had the hot hand. [Thursday] night it was Parker and Fred. It makes us a good team because you can’t just focus on one guy.” Jalyn King led Emporia with 20 points, with nine coming in the opening quarter. 

Baldwin had high praise for the player who transferred to Emporia during the football season. “This is my 10th year as a head coach and he is the toughest kid I have ever coached, and we’re at game three,” Baldwin said. “That tells you how highly I think of him. He is invaluable to this team and I think what makes him special is after he’s gone, the toughness and competitiveness that he’s shown this group will carry on for years to come. That’s why he is who he is.” Leeds added 13 points while Peters netted 11, all coming in the second half and nine in the fourth quarter. “I love this team,” Peters said. “We’re the real deal. We have everything. We have the talent and the coaching and we’re starting to put it all together.” 

For a team that won only four games last season, this team looks like it can be something special. But Baldwin won’t take the credit for the quick turnaround. “I got really lucky,” Baldwin said. “We have a bunch of guys that are back from last year when they took their lumps and got a lot of experience and then we got a great transfer that came in. So, I’m not going to take a whole lot of credit for the start we’ve had. "That was not a fluke. We earned the right to win that game and I’m really proud of our guys because that’s the type of game we’re going to have to win throughout the season if we want to make a run in March.” 

Coach Lee Baldwin says the Spartans found a way to win a game while battling some adversity. Emporia improved 3-0 on the season and will close out the Paul Terry Classic against Trinity on Saturday afternoon at 4:15.