Baldwin rallies for repeat

Unbeaten Baldwin had blown by most of its opponents en route to last Saturday’s Nassau County Class AA girls’ basketball title game against Massapequa, but needed to dig out of a massive hole to earn a repeat championship.

The Lady Bruins trailed by 17 points midway through the third quarter before staging a furious rally to capture a thrilling 58-49 victory at LIU Post. They went on a 21-2 run and outscored the second-seeded Lady Chiefs 38-9 the rest of the way.

Baldwin (19-0), which defeated Massapequa for the county title last year, now moves on to the Long Island Class AA championship game at Post on March 13 against the winner of the Suffolk final between Commack and Huntington. Baldwin has won five county titles in six years.

“We never gave up,” said Baldwin senior guard Jade Aponte, who helped spark the rally with 15 of her 17 points in the second half. “We had a lot of heart.”

The comeback was fueled by a full-court press that created Massapequa turnovers in the backcourt. Freshman Aziah Hudson forced a steal and then converted a layup off a pass from Sarah Pulis that gave Baldwin its first lead since the game’s opening seconds, 45-43.

After Massapequa regained the lead on back-to-back baskets from Olivia Batista, Baldwin seized control with an 8-0 run. A Tiara Place layup off a feed from Jenna Annecchiarico tied the game at 47, and then Hudson gave the Bruins the lead for good on transition off a Massapequa turnover. Aponte then converted a basket plus the foul for a 3-point play with 2:36 left that gave the Bruins a 52-47 lead.

“In the second half, defense was offense,” said Hudson, who finished with 16 points. “It was exciting.”

Baldwin head coach Tom Catapano said that other than trailing St. Mary’s for three quarters in a Dec. 29 non-conference game before winning 63-54, the Lady Bruins hadn’t been forced into comeback mode during their undefeated run. That also marked the only other game this season in which Baldwin did not win by double digits, with 13 of its victories coming by 30 points or more.

“They showed they have the heart of a lion,” Catapano said of his players. “There was no quit in this team.”

Place and junior Lames El Gammal were also keys in the comeback, with 8 points apiece. Hudson scored off the opening tipoff, but Massapequa scored the next 9 points and didn’t relinquish its lead until the game’s late stages.

Aponte and Hudson were both named to the all-tournament team. Hudson, who also scored 15 points in an 82-44 semifinal win against Mepham on Feb. 21, earned MVP honors.

“For her to be doing what she is doing as a freshman is phenomenal,” Catapano said of the 5-foot-6 Hudson. “Her future is through the roof.”

He added that he was impressed by the determination of Aponte in the backcourt. In addition to making big shots during the second-half rally, she also converted some clutch free throws. “She’s having a phenomenal senior year,” Catapano said of Aponte, who has scored in double digits in all but two games this season and also stars on Baldwin’s girls’ soccer and softball teams. “She has ice in her veins.”

Last March, Baldwin captured the Long Island crown with a 50-47 win over Sachem East before falling to Cicero-North Syracuse in the state semifinals, 61-50. Hudson, who was an eighth-grader on last year’s squad, said that returning to the state stage has been a goal all season.

“It feels really good to come back and win like this,” she said. “We now have to focus on getting back to the states.”