Lady Eagles hover in playoff picture

In search of its third straight Nassau Class AA girls’ basketball championship, Baldwin’s getting the offense cranked at the perfect time and couldn’t be in better hands with senior point guard Alex Hampton at the controls.

Hampton tied a season high with 21 points and dished out seven assists to lead the Lady Bruins to a convincing 65-34 victory over visiting Valley Stream Central on Jan. 19. Senior Amber Harrison added 15 points and junior Chelsea May added 14 points and 12 rebounds as Baldwin improved to 8-0 in Conference AA-II and 10-1 overall. Senior Nikole Williams paced the Lady Eagles (4-4 in conference games, 4-6 overall) with 10 points and six rebounds.

Central, which sits on the playoff bubble with six games remaining and had a modest two-game winning streak snapped, hung with Baldwin throughout the first meeting Dec. 16, falling 55-50, but coach Mary Parisi said the Lady Eagles’ struggles to move the ball and rebound were the big reasons for the 31-point margin in the rematch.

“We were impatient and didn’t run set plays like we usually do,” Parisi said. “It’s upsetting and I wish we didn’t lose like this, but Baldwin’s a great team and we didn’t have our offense going. Our shots fell the first time we played and we need to bounce back from this as quickly as we can.”

Hampton set the tone early and scored 17 points in the first half to help Baldwin build a 31-19 lead. Ten of those came in a second quarter that saw counterpart Christine Rivera, Central’s senior point guard, score all seven of her points. Second- and third-effort baskets, thanks to the work of May, senior Ayanna Hudson and junior Janae DeGraff on the boards, and points in transition helped the Lady Bruins extend the lead to an insurmountable 47-27 heading into the fourth. Sophomore Mariah Butler added eight points.

“This was probably our most complete game of the season,” Baldwin coach Tom Catapano said. “They played tough the first time at their place and we have a lot of respect for them.

“I think we’re beginning to peak at the right time,” he added. “We lost a lot of offense from last season and it took some time to get everything to fit into place.” 

The Lady Eagles were coming off back-to-back home wins over Port Washington and Plainview that saw their offense click. Sophomore Brianna Hendrick (15), freshman Chi-la Brady (13), Rivera (12) and senior Leslie Williams (12) all scored in double figures in a 63-40 victory over Port Washington, while Nikole Williams poured in a career-high 29 points to highlight a 60-41 triumph over Plainview.

“Our main goal hasn’t changed,” Parisi said. “We want to get to the playoffs. We’ve got a good mix of seniors and younger players, and it’s going to come down to how bad they want it.” 

Central hosts Calhoun in a pivotal game this Friday at 6:30 p.m.