By Steve Siniski
The Tournament's Most Valuable Player, Mike Woods, scored 10 of his game-high 17 points in the opening stanza, helping the Bruins - 4-1 overall - run out to a 21-8 lead.
"He's been great," coach Darius Burton said of Woods, a transfer in his first season with the team. "He's a natural scorer with great body control and finishes. But he's very unselfish and creates for others."
The two-day tournament also featured a championship win by the girls' varsity basketball team - 48-27 winners over Sewanhaka - a game played in honor of former Lady Bruin Chaneé Brown, who lost her life less than a year ago in a car accident.
Woods has averaged 20.1 points in the first five games and developed quite an on-court rapport with Scott Henderson in the front court.
Because of Henderson's ability to pass out of the low post and also create off the dribble, defenses simply can't collapse and clog the lane.
"I like to put the ball in his hands on the perimeter," Burton said of Henderson, who turned in several eye-opening passes to go along with six points, five rebounds and three steals. "He can draw a big man [off the blocks] and has great vision."
The 13-point first quarter cushion was forged not only by the strong play of the defense, but the mere threat of it. Anytime a Spartans' player was able to get into the lane; he either faced several Baldwin bodies in his path to the basket or heard the footsteps of a fast-approaching Bruin. And that was before Burton turned on the half-court traps.
The defense registered seven steals and three blocks in the first half alone.
"Anybody that plays us knows our style," Burton said. "We press not always to steal the ball but to wear teams down."
If Woods was the offensive star in the first quarter, Jack Davis gets the honors for the second. He canned a pair of threes and scored eight of the Bruins' 15 points in the frame, helping them extend the lead to 36-14 at intermission. And things didn't get much easier after that for John Adams.
Held scoreless for the first 3:33 of third quarter, the Spartans were never able to find their offensive rhythm. Andrew Baker scored 10 points, grabbed eight boards and swatted a pair of shots in the win, while Chris Manning turned in an efficient all-around game with six points, seven rebounds, two steals and a block.
"Nobody works harder than Manning on the defensive end," Burton said. "He's starting to come into his own and has a great work ethic."
The defense also keyed Baldwin's 88-33 victory over Glen Cove in the first round of the Holiday Tournament on December 26. The Bruins jumped out to an 11-0 lead that swelled into a 33-5 advantage at the end of the opening quarter.
Woods scored 23 points, Manning added 16 and Nick Thomas had 11. Manning and Henderson earned All-Tournament honors for their play.
The Lady Bruins were led by Tournament MVP Amanda Rittenmeyer (18 points in two games) and All-Tournament honoree Jana Hampton (17). They advanced to the championship round by defeating Clarke, 42-33, in the opener.
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