Baldwin falls to Brentwood in L.I. final

As the defending champions and already with a regular-season victory over Baldwin, all the pressure was on Brentwood in last Saturday’s Long Island Class AA boys’ basketball title game at Farmingdale State College.

But instead of feeling the heat, the Indians cranked it up before a standing-room only crowd of 3,500 and rolled to a 72-51 victory over the Bruins. Brentwood’s offense ran like a well-oiled machine as four players scored in double figures, led by junior Mike Almonacy’s game-high 20 points. Seniors Tavon Ginyard and Ali Mableton added 16 apiece, and junior James Allen added 11 points and 14 rebounds. Senior Daraja Rodwell led Baldwin with 19.

“Given the talent we have, it’s surprising sometimes how unselfish we are,” Brentwood head coach Anthony Jiminez said.

The Bruins (19-2), who were coming off their fourth Nassau County championship under head coach Darius Burton, played Brentwood evenly through three quarters in the Nassau-Suffolk Challenge on Jan. 17 before falling 73-61. They scored five of the first seven points in the rematch, but couldn’t keep up with the Indians’ pace and never seriously threatened after trailing 17-10 through the opening quarter.

“That’s arguably the best team in the state,” Burton said of the Indians, who will play a state semifinal this Saturday at Glens Falls. “They’ve got everything, including a backcourt that dictates the tempo on offense and defense,” he added. “We went in knowing we had to shoot well and couldn’t give up too many transition points, but neither of those two things happened.”

Baldwin trailed at halftime for the first time all season, 35-22. Rodwell, who led Long Island with 75 three-pointers, sank three in the first half when he had 11 of his points. He opened the second half with a pair of free throws, but the Bruins never got closer than 11.

“Losing at the half, and down by 13, we were in unfamiliar territory,” Burton said. “I was hoping we’d cut it to single digits going into the fourth and make a run, but they never let up.”

Senior Paul Nosworthy, who starred late in Baldwin’s victory over Uniondale in the county final a week earlier, had nine points and nine rebounds. Senior Marvin Chartelain and junior Shane Gatling each had six points.