Baldwin returns to finals

Much like this winter’s weather, Baldwin’s defense can be relentless.

Last Saturday night at LIU-Post, while Mother Nature blanketed the region with more snow and ice, the top-seeded Lady Bruins turned up the heat on No. 4 Mepham in an 82-44 victory in a Nassau Class AA girls’ basketball semifinal.

Senior Tiara Place scored a game-high 24 points and pulled down 20 rebounds, freshman Aziah Hudson had 15 points and six steals, and senior Jade Aponte scored all 12 of her points in the second quarter when Baldwin (18-0) stretched a six-point lead to 22.

“Mepham’s a tough team and it took us a while to wear on them,” Lady Bruins head coach Tom Catapano said. “They were hot early in the second quarter and did a nice job of kicking the ball out and hitting open threes. We just had to keep the pressure on.”

Baldwin, in search of a fifth county title in six seasons and second in a row, will face No. 2 Massapequa this Saturday at Post at 7 p.m. It’s a rematch of last year’s championship game.

Mepham, which rolled past No. 5 Freeport by 27 points in the quarterfinals, was led by freshman Julia Anderson’s 10 points. Freshman Mary Ann Bagonis and senior Alexa Morris added nine points apiece for the Lady Pirates, who were within 25-19 early in the second quarter before Baldwin scored 21 of the next 26 points to take a 46-24 lead at intermission.

“Baldwin’s at another level,” Mepham head coach Jim Mulvey said. “I thought we held our composure to a point, but their pressure is off the charts. We had a really nice season. ”

Aponte keyed Baldwin’s first big spurt by hitting five of her seven attempts in the second quarter, including a couple of treys and a couple of driving shots. “Jade has earned the reputation of being one of the best shooters in the county,” Catapano said. “Shooting on these hoops with no back wall, it takes everyone a little time to get used to the atmosphere. She missed a few early but heated up pretty quick.” 

Baldwin had another 21-5 spurt in the second half, including a stretch of about 90 seconds where it forced six turnovers and converted all but one into an easy basket. Catapano called Place, who had nine field goals and six free throws, “the best player on the floor tonight.”

Junior center Lames El Gammal added 12 points and 10 rebounds. “We had the inside-outside game going with Tiara and Lames down low,” Catapano said. “We’re going to need it again next week. Massapequa’s a real tough opponent, no doubt about it.”

Catapano, who recorded his 100th coaching victory on Feb. 6, said he planned on breaking down six game films on Massapequa, which bolted to a 14-point lead after the first quarter of its 61-45 semifinal win over No. 3 Elmont. 

The Lady Chiefs are led by junior Melanie Hingher, who scored 28 points in last year’s county final. “Hingher is the best scorer they’ve had in the six years I’m coaching,” Catapano said. “Our girls will be ready for the challenge.”