In the early going the Hoboes played as if they might pull off the upset. Laurel Hill led 11-2 with seven minutes gone in the first quarter as Jacob Stewart, Terrance Causell, Aiden Hodge and Adrian McKay had scored.
The only two Baker points were on a pair of free throws by Levi Hunter. An Andrea Jackson 3-pointer late in the quarter cut the Hobo lead to 11-5 at the end of the first quarter.
Baker outscored Laurel Hill 24-4 in the second quarter as the Gators took control of the game.
Gator coach Brent Zessin’s message to his team was simple at the end of the first quarter.
“I told them you never want to let someone see you sweat,” he said. “We just had to maintain our composure.
“We were able to start playing better basketball.”
Jackson and Dustin Nixon led the Baker charge in the third quarter. Nixon had six of his game-high 16 points in the period and Jackson scored seven of the 15 points he notched in the game.
A basket by Aiden Morris, with seven minutes left in the first half, gave the Gators their first lead of the game at 12-11. Laurel Hill’s Andrew Henderson put the Hoboes back in front at 13-12.
Noah Cobb’s 3-pointer with 6:39 left in the half put the Gators in front for good.
A couple of technical fouls against the Hoboes didn’t help their cause any as Baker was able to get easy points from the line.
Once Laurel Hill fell behind it was tough going for the Hoboes as their hurried style of play only added to their troubles.
Baker outscored the Hoboes 34-19 in the second half to seal the win.
Jackson and Nixon were the only two players in the game to hit double figures. Kayleb Wagner scored nine points for Baker and Stephen McCosker eight.
Stewart and Hodge led Laurel Hill with six points each. Henderson and Causell scored five points each.
