Thursday, March 20, 2025
On the heels of winning a fifth straight Nassau County boys’ basketball title, Baldwin was determined to end a two-game drought in the Long Island championship stage.
The Bruins did just that Tuesday night against a familiar foe.
Sophomore Mical Saint Jean scored a career-high 19 points, junior point guard Ethan Sainsbury added a career-high 17 and dished out 10 assists, senior Chase Timberlake chipped in 12 with 8 steals, senior Vaughdrea Johnson had 11 points and 11 rebounds, and junior center Gabe Phillips ripped down 16 boards as Baldwin never trailed in its 75-56 victory over Amityville in the AA LIC at Farmingdale State College.
“We’ve had quite a run,” Baldwin head coach Darius Burton said. “A lot of people doubted us. We had two starters leave the program and have 10 first-year varsity guys, so this is a great accomplishment and hopefully we’re not done.”
Four scored in double figures for Amityville, which four nights earlier won its first Suffolk County title in five years. Senior Taki Mason had 15, junior Amir Dickerson 13, junior Wes Flythe 12 and senior Dajon Clinton 10.
Both the Warriors (16-8) and Bruins (18-7) were respective No. 5 seeds in their county tournaments. They also met Dec. 27 as part of the Chanee Brown Holiday Tournament with Baldwin pulling out a 67-62 win.
“We have the upmost respect for Amityville’s program and coach [Jack] Agostino,” Burton said. “I grew up watching all the great teams he coached. When we played back in December, we hoped to have a rematch in March and both teams made it happen.”
Agostino and Burton have combined for more than 950 wins (533 and 419, respectively) and 14 LI titles.
“Baldwin is a very good team and Darius is one of the best coaches in Long Island history,” Agostino said. “We didn’t have a good third quarter when the game got away. But it was a historic season. We were the smallest school in Class AA.”
A pivotal moment came late in the first half. Baldwin led 15-9 after the opening quarter despite Phillips drawing two quick fouls, and by eight points in the second before Amityville rallied to pull even at 30. However, the Bruins scored the final five points of the half and went into the locker room with a chip on their shoulders.
“We felt good at halftime because Gabe had two fouls in the first five minutes and I was subbing him in and out on offense and defense,” Burton explained. “We had a really big third quarter that gave us some breathing room. Everyone stepped up as they have throughout playoffs.”
Burton said containing Dickerson, one of Long Island’s top offensive threats, was a key. “He put up 28 against us the first time and is a very good player,” he said. “We mixed up the defense and used man, zone, and box-and-one to keep him off balance.”
The Bruins outscored the Warriors 22-11 in the third quarter and led by as many as 21. The margin was 16 entering the fourth.
“We were well-prepared and really wanted it,” Timberlake said. “We’re close to making history and want to keep going.”
