Thursday, March 20, 2025
After seeing its string of nine consecutive Nassau County championships snapped last season, Baldwin girls’ basketball has been on a mission.
And its ultimate goal is no secret.
“We know we have to take it one step at a time, but we want to win the last game,” senior Payton Dulin said after pouring in 20 points Wednesday evening to lead the Bruins to a convincing 66-34 victory over Westhampton in the Long Island Class AA title game at Farmingdale State College. “Our first goal was to get the county championship back and we worked really hard for it,” she added. “We played even better tonight and we’re excited to keep going.”
Seniors Monique Echols (15) and Toni Smith (10) also scored in double figures, and senior Madison Guillory and junior Alyssa Polonia chipped in 6 points apiece as Baldwin improved to 20-2 and moved within three wins of a coveted state championship.
“It feels amazing,” Smith said. “We’ve put in so many hours of work since last season ended. We always practice hard and the past few days were no different. We watched a lot of film on Westhampton and brought a defensive emphasis into this game.
“We let up 52 points to Garden City last game and we wanted to get back to the typical Baldwin defense,” she added. “When we bring the defense, we know the offense will take care of itself.”
Junior Jasmine Taylor scored 13 to lead the Hurricanes, who never led but were within 18-16 early in the second quarter before the Bruins used a 12-point run to reassert themselves. The margin was 30-21 at halftime.
“I thought it was a really good effort and it’s great to be Long Island champs again,” Baldwin head coach Tom Catapano said. “I thought we gambled a little too much in the first half and Westhampton battled. In the second half we really locked in to our defensive assignments and played at the pace we wanted.”
Westhampton standout junior point guard Sandra Clarke, who was held to just 5 points (10 below her season average) with Echols doing the majority of the shutdown work, capped a 14-7 run for the Hurricanes with a layup a minute into the second quarter to make it a one-possession game.
Then Dulin and Polonia both drained 3s and the Bruins were well on their way. They scored 18 points in three of four quarters on the way to winning a seventh L.I. title in 13 seasons.
“Alyssa has had an outstanding season and is our most-improved player,” Catapano said of Polonia. “She plays a solid all-around game and helps us stretch defenses in the half court.”
Dulin, who will play at the next level at George Washington University was lifted early in the fourth quarter after her 12-foot jumper stretched the lead to 50-30.
“Payton’s our leader,” Catapano said. “It’s fitting she played at such a high level on this stage.”
