Baptiste said Hewlett’s season turned the corner after a narrow defeat to Lawrence on Jan. 31, three weeks after a 26-point loss to the Golden Tornadoes. “Our confidence was boosted by the way we played in that second game against Lawrence,” he said. “It feels great to get this far because we’ve come so close in the past.”

Hewlett trailed after the opening quarter for the third time in as many playoff games, 13-12, despite 10 points from Feldman. But the Bulldogs were ferocious at both ends of the floor in the second, outscoring the Knights 20-3 to lead 32-16 at halftime. Feldman and senior Bryan Eckerle both drained a pair of treys in a quarter that saw Floral Park miss every shot it attempted from the field.

“Our assistant coaches put together a great defensive plan and the kids did a great job following it,” Dubin said. 

The lead swelled to 53-32 by the end of the third quarter, thanks in large part to Steinberg, Baptiste, and junior Joe Pasquale combining for 13 points with Feldman on the bench with three fouls.

“I’m really proud of the way we executed,” Dubin said.