Thursday, October 1, 2026
Baldwin’s march through the Nassau County Class AA boys’ basketball playoffs couldn’t have started any better than it did in the quarterfinal round against No. 8 Valley Stream Central on Feb. 17.
Backed by a raucous home crowd, the top-seeded Bruins (19-1 overall) scored the first 13 points of the game on the strength of a pressure defense that forced multiple turnovers en route to a 90-47 win.
The win catapulted Baldwin into the semifinals against No. 4 Massapequa after presstime with the winner advancing to the championship game against the winner of No. 3 Westbury/No. 11 Freeport Saturday at LIU- Post. Tipoff is scheduled for 9 p.m.
Al five members of the Bruins’ starting lineup-scored at least two points during the game opening 13-0 run, which started right off the tap when senior center Justin Caldwell grabbed an offensive rebound and put back a layup. The Eagles (9-11 overall) didn’t score their first basket until senior Amir Stevens converted a layup with 2:40 remaining in the first quarter, and by the time the smoke cleared on the opening eight minutes, Baldwin had already jumped out to an insurmountable 24-4 edge.
“It was a tough start,” VSC head coach Heyward Alfred said. “We gave up a couple of tough offensive rebounds and a couple of loose balls. But hats off to [Baldwin]. They’re one of the best teams in [Nassau County].”
Perhaps no play defined the level of Baldwin’s defensive effort than a 3-on-1 Eagles’ fastbreak early in the second quarter. Junior Jabeon Bivins was the only defender back and retreating into the post, but his last step was towards the attacking offense, and Bivins managed to poke away a pass just in front of the Bruins’ hoop. Now in transition the other way, Bivins’ pass to senior Shane Gatling ended up in a foul and a free-throw conversion.
The Bruins, looking to win a second consecutive county championship and fifth in the last 10 seasons, were led junior Jared Rhoden, the Conference AA-II Player of the Year, who turned in a well-rounded effort included a game-high 21 points and eight rebounds. He also converted 7 of his 9 free-throw attempts. “He’s playing smarter and smarter and knows he can score,” Burton said of Rhoden who also leads the team with 55 three-pointers. “He can hurt teams inside and out.”
Senior Shane Gatling, playing his final home game, scored 14 points and added five assists, while junior Norman Wilson came off the bench to score 11 points. And when Gatling was forced to the sidelines because of a minor injury midway through the second quarter, his replacement, senior Taj Thorpe, had a three-point play, then grabbed an offensive rebound and drained a jumper in his first minute of play.
Baldwin was 23 of 28 from the free-throw line. “We attacked the basket very well and got to the free-throw line,” Burton said. “We practice them every day and the [guys] know how important they are.”
