Baldwin looks to remain hot

Baldwin kicks off the New Year on the hardwood riding a winning streak that grew to four games after victories over Hempstead (66-45 on Dec. 29) and Valley Stream Central (66-39 on Dec. 28) by a combined 48 points in its Holiday Tournament.

As always, defense has keyed the Bruins fast start (4-1 overall, 2-0 in Conference AA-II), but the team has added a new wrinkle to a unit that has long been known best because it pressured opponents for 32 minutes a game.

“We’re doing a great job defensively and haven’t given up more than 54 points in any game,” coach Darius Burton said. “We’re forcing turnovers but we’re also holding teams to just one shot. We’re doing a great job of contesting shots.”

Scoring has been nearly impossible for every opponent at some point, as Baldwin held each of the first five to single-digit point totals in one quarter, and all but one team below 10 in at least two quarters.

The bench remains deep, and Burton’s unafraid to use every player on the roster. In fact, junior Myles Ojeikere helped key a scoring burst in the finals of the Baldwin Tournament when he came off the bench in the third quarter, helping double what was an eight-point halftime lead. Though he scored just two points, his production went far beyond the box score. “He gave us good minutes in a championship game and we opened it up,” Burton said. “He got a chance and proved he belonged out there. I tell the kids that nothing is concrete. If you work hard and you’re producing, you’ll move up.”

Junior point guard Brandon Williams earned Most Valuable Player honors in the two-day event, finishing with a team-high 19 points in the finals. Junior swingman Kyle Richardson, meanwhile, continued his rapid development into a matchup nightmare for opponents, earning All Tournament honors by scoring a combined 26 points and pulling down 22 rebounds.

Even more impressive for the small forward is the fact he’s also topped double-digits in three-pointers through just five games. “He’s been a big surprise,” Burton said. “We knew he’d be good, but not this good this soon. He’s taller than everyone [that guards him] and if he’s not hurting them on the boards, he’s shooting over them on the perimeter.”

Williams and Richardson have jumped right into midseason form, but one key Bruin who is only starting to hit his stride is senior Aaron Green, the summer league MVP. He scored 12 points against the Tigers and drained a pair of three-pointers.

Baldwin hosts MacArthur on Friday at 7 p.m. and hits the road to take on Plainview-JFK on Monday with tipoff set for 4:30 p.m. “In the past few years we’ve had one real star,” Burton said. “But with this group, every night it is someone different. [Teams] can’t go out and say they want to stop [one player].”