Freshman Sasha Baldwin has found her stride for Iowa City West girls basketball

"Match their intensity."

That was the message Coach Nate Frese told his Iowa City West girls basketball team after falling into a 14-1 first-quarter deficit Tuesday.

And the Trojans responded, especially Sasha Baldwin, who ignited a third-quarter surge to help West secure a 70-43 win over Cedar Rapids Jefferson.

"I think that we all believed in each other," Baldwin said. "We just knew that we didn't play our best [in the first quarter] but we needed to keep lifting each other up and having confidence in our shots."

The Trojans did just that.

In the second quarter, they cut their double-digit deficit to six points with the help of good defense, fast-break points and drilling shots. They continued their momentum in the third quarter, holding Jefferson to just four points.

Midway through the third quarter, Baldwin ignited a sequence that began with a 3-pointer then a steal leading to a bucket. She then grabbed another steal, hustled down the court and converted on a bucket and foul shot, a three-point play, punctuated with a passionate scream.

It lifted fans out of their seats.

"Lots of energy. It felt really good," Baldwin said. "An ideal moment in basketball that you just want to happen."

Baldwin's 12 third-quarter points, part of her 27 total points, not only gave the Trojans a double-digit lead but also ensured they stayed ahead the rest of the game. Grace Fincham also contributed 16 points in the win.

'Sasha is feeling back to normal'

Baldwin struggled in the past two games, scoring a combined 12 points for the Trojans.

She made up for it by scoring a career-high on Tuesday.

"She fancies herself as a legit scorer and she really wants to put the team on her back," Frese said. "And I think [her scream in the third quarter] was kind of cathartic, where she's feeling like 'Yes, I'm back.' That's what we talked about there in the locker room too that Sasha's feeling back to normal and that helps the whole team."

Baldwin, a freshman for the Trojans, is fueled by mistakes made on the court.

"I feel like [scoring] comes a little bit naturally but also I feel like I'm fueled by past games if I haven't done well," Baldwin said. "If I turn it over, I'm like 'I need to get that back'."

Fincham, who's played AAU basketball with Baldwin, described her as a confident leader who never gives up.

"She just has a good mindset...starting for varsity, that was me last year, and she's held her head up really high and never hung her head," Fincham said. "Always hustling in the game like you saw tonight."

Baldwin credited her teammates for spotting her on open passes and providing support and encouragement, fueling her 27-point performance.

The Trojans (4-4) aren't strangers to perseverance. They opened the season on a three-game skid, but they've recently won four of their last five games.

"We started the season with a lot of tough competition but I feel like we have a boost in confidence, now that we've won multiple games," Baldwin said. "So I feel like we just need to keep going and not step back."

The Trojans will face Iowa City High in a rivalry game on Friday.

This article originally appeared on Iowa City Press-Citizen: Iowa City West freshman Sasha Baldwin is coming into her own