Thursday, October 1, 2026
Baldwin’s once-comfortable 19-point lead over Walt Whitman in the Long Island Class AAA girls’ basketball title game whittled down to five with less than three minutes remaining on March 11 when its lone returning starter from last season’s state championship team made sure it wouldn’t be her high school finale.
Senior guard Alyssa Polonia’s long trey from the top of the key with 2:42 to go provided the dagger in Baldwin’s 54-46 victory. It was her first basket in the second half and her four free throws in the final minute sealed the program’s eighth L.I. crown in head coach Tom Catapano’s 17 seasons at the helm.
“Alyssa is the leader of this team and she’s been clutch all season,” Catapano said. “She’s worked herself into being an exceptional player and when we need a big basket, we’re calling her number because we know she’s knocking it down.”
Polonia had a team-high 17 points, sophomore Malia Robinson added 11 and junior Ajeya Nicholas chipped in 8 as the Bruins (21-3) held off a late surge from Whitman to add to a dynasty that includes a dozen Nassau County championships and three state titles during Catapano’s tenure.
“We knew coming into this game we’d have to bring our best,” Polonia said. “I didn’t get a lot of opportunities, but I stayed confident and I always had faith that we’d win. Everyone did a great job tonight.”
In the paint, Nicholas and seniors Akua Bonsu and Leah Williams proved major factors in the outcome. Williams had 6 points and Bonsu scored all 5 of hers in the third quarter to offset some of Whitman’s momentum. And the trio combined for 24 rebounds.
“We have a three-headed monster in the backcourt with Alyssa, Malia and Chinaya [Okogeri], but we also have a three-headed monster up front with Ajeya, Leah and Akua,” Catapano said. “They did a great job getting rebounds and points, and they showed their versatility because they all had tough assignments on defense.”
The Wildcats (21-2) outscored Baldwin 32-24 in the second half. They got three-pointers from senior Paige Hiller, sophomore Hannah Creighton and junior Madison Richter in the third quarter and crept within seven before Williams’ three-point play made it 42-32 entering the fourth.
“We had a tough first half and we were just looking to get back to some of the things I knew we could do better like shot selection and ball movement,” Whitman head coach Dan Trebour said. “These kids have had a lot of success and they showed a lot of grit.”
Junior Jazmynn Julien, who led the Wildcats with 17 points, had 12 of those in the second half and assisted on Creighton’s layup that shaved the margin to 46-41 with 3:30 remaining.
Polonia then dialed long distance off a drive-and-dish from Robinson to make it 49-41.
“At halftime we just said it’s our game to win and to stay the course,” Robinson said. “They made a good run, but we took the game back.”
Baldwin, the reigning state Class AA champion, moves on to face either Newburgh Free Academy or Albertus Magnus this Saturday in the Class AAA regional final at Yorktown High School or Monroe-Woodbury High School.
“It feels great to continue the program’s legacy,” Bonsu said. “It’s been a memorable season and we want to keep going as far as we can.”
