Strong starts fuel Baldwin

Baldwin continued to roar on the hardwood from the opening tap on the girls basketball court and improved its record to 6-1 overall (2-0 in Conference AA-II) with a 72-27 victory over Hicksville last Saturday.

The defense, long a staple of the Lady Bruins’ program, has come out with the pedal to the floor all season and fueled a 25-5 run in the first quarter against the Lady Comets.

“We’re trying to play the way we always play,” head coach Tom Catapano said. “Our 2-2-1 press has been giving teams problems. We’re pushing the ball in transition and we’ve been catching teams off guard.”

Sophomore Aziah Hudson scored 20 points in the win, while junior Kayla Brown added 13 points. “This is definitely an unselfish team,” Catapano said of his Lady Bruins, who had 10 players score at least a point against Hicksville. “We look to make the right play and pass to the open girl.”

Port Washington managed just a single bucket in the first eight minutes of its Conference AA-II opener against Baldwin on Jan. 6, getting outscored 28-2 on the way to a 57-23 defeat. Archbishop Carroll (PA) managed just seven points in the opening quarter of its game with Baldwin in the New York/Philly Challenge at St. Dominic’s on Jan. 3. And in a 61-36 victory over Bellarmine in early December, a school from Washington State that traveled to Washington D.C. for a tournament and matched up with Baldwin, the Lady Bruins allowed just six points in the opening quarter.

Sophomore Jenna Annecchiarico turned in a well-rounded game of 18 points and seven assists in the win over Bellarmine, earning the Most Valuable Player award in the She Got Game Tournament. “In Jenna and Aziah, they have so much varsity experience playing their fourth year,” Catapano said. “They have tremendous experience under their belts.”

Hudson scored a season-high 26 points in a 60-56 victory over Mary Louis Academy from Queens, a team that was ranked No. 15 in the tri-state area.

Senior Lames ElGammal continues to control the flow under the basket on both ends of the floor, pulling down at least 10 rebounds in each of the first seven games, and has developed into an excellent help defender and shot blocker by sliding when ball handlers come off the perimeter.

Freshman Kaia Harrison has had a smooth transition to the role of starting point guard, while sophomore Sarah Henry has rebounded well at both ends of the floor. “Kaia has done a great job, being a freshman and taking on the point guard role,” Catapano said. “She’s done a great job with the ball and facilitates the offense. She’s been very polished so far.”

The Lady Bruins, entering the meat of their Conference AA-II schedule, host Valley Stream Central this Friday at 7 p.m. East Meadow is in town Jan. 19 to close out the first half of the conference slate.