Baldwin peaking at right time

It’s almost “go” time for Baldwin on the hardwood, and the Bruins are rapidly rounding into February form, ripping off seven consecutive wins and clinching at least a tie for their third consecutive Conference AA-II crown in boys’ basketball with a 64-53 win over Plainview JFK on Feb. 5. Senior point guard Travais Hylton scored a game-high 21 points, including eight in the fourth quarter, as Baldwin (10-1 overall, 13-3 Conference AA-II) pulled away.

“We’re very proud and happy for him,” coach Darius Burton said of Hylton, who was third-string the past two seasons before taking over the starter’s role. “Now it’s his show and he’s doing a great job. He’s done very well shooting the ball and is cutting down his turnovers.

“It opens [the offense] up for everyone, including the bigs when he’s making shots.”

Hylton also added five rebounds and five assists with senior Eric Mack netting his second triple-double with 18 points, 10 rebounds and 10 blocks, increasing his school-record breaking total of swats to 97 in 16 games. Eight different players in all scored at least a point, displaying an offensive balance that has become routine and is also frightening for opponents.

“This team is very unique because we don’t have one star player,” Burton said. “It’s very hard to prepare for this team because of the [depth] of talent. The guys are also very unselfish and don’t care about who scores.”

That balance was also on full display in a 60-50 victory over Hicksville on Jan. 29, in which the Baldwin avenged an earlier defeat to the Comets. Senior Elijah McMillan’s 13 points led an offense that had three players score at least 11 points and 10 players in all hit the scoresheet. Hylton scored a dozen, while junior Jordan Williams added 11 with eight boards and Mack had seven points, 10 rebounds and 10 blocks.

“We came out like gangbusters,” Burton said. “They came out like they had something to prove. [Hicksville] was the team that beat our [36-game winning] streak. You always want to get off to a great start, and it showed how determined and how ready we were.

The defense helped the Bruins up a 22-3 bulge after one quarter and gave them control of their own Conference AA-II destiny. A win over MacArthur in the regular-season finale would give Baldwin its’ third straight crown. Hicksville’s Michael Julka, who drained six three-pointers in the first meeting, a 60-50 win by the Comets, was held to just six points in the rematch. “We use fresh bodies to wear teams down and go with the hot hand,” Burton said.

Baldwin, aiming for its seventh consecutive trip to the Nassau County finals and defense of last season’s crown, had a chance to earn a first-round bye in the Class AA playoff tournament that was set to kickoff Saturday. If the Bruins advanced — seeding was after presstime — they would advance to the quarterfinal round scheduled for Feb. 20.