Baldwin teams reach basketball finals

Despite losing 95 percent of its offense from last season’s Nassau Class AA girls’ basketball championship game, Baldwin is one step away from a seventh consecutive county title.

In their first action in 11 days, the second-seeded Lady Bruins worked their way past No. 6 Freeport in last Sunday’s semifinal at Farmingdale State, 74-42, behind freshman Dallysshya Moreno’s 18 points and 12 rebounds, and will face No. 1 Syosset in a title game rematch this Sunday at Nassau Coliseum at 6 p.m.

“We played very hard and had a really strong second half,” Baldwin head coach Tom Catapano said. “I love the energy we brought from start to finish. It was a good team win.”

Baldwin, which went undefeated in 12 Conference AA-II games for a seventh straight campaign, raced out to a 32-17 lead over the Lady Devils and never looked back. Junior Nayeli Dowding had 13 points, and senior Dana Elcock and junior Laila Elor added 12 apiece.

In the opening round played Feb. 19, a dozen Lady Bruins scored in what was their third win over East Meadow this season, 64-39. Elcock led all scorers with 11 points. Elor put up a double-double (10 points and 10 rebounds), while senior Elena Randolph just missed doing the same with 10 boards and nine points.

Syosset enters the finals with a perfect 20-0 record and is 40-2 in its last 42 games dating back to last season. The Lady Braves lost to Baldwin in the county final, 58-53, and returned leading scorers Caroline Ruggiero, Kendall Halpern and Charlotte Twohig.

“Syosset has a lot of experience and we’re looking forward to the challenge,” Catapano said. “Beating their pressure is the top priority. We’ll be prepared for it.”

Baldwin rallies to win semifinal
For a second straight playoff game, Baldwin needed a second-half rally to advance in the Nassau Class AA boys’ basketball tournament.

The second-seeded Bruins trailed Massapequa by a point heading into the fourth quarter of last Sunday’s semifinal at Farmingdale State before rallying for a 59-49 victory. Lance Henry (15), Kamani Jones (14) and Trevan Blackett (12) all scored in double figures as Baldwin advanced to meet top-seeded and two-time defending county champion Uniondale for the title this Sunday at 8 p.m. at Nassau Coliseum.

“Digging deep in the fourth quarter has become our M.O.,” Baldwin head coach Darius Burton said. “That’s not the way you always want to draw it up, but Massapequa and Plainview both played tough.”

Isiah Walker and Joshua Minton added nine points apiece for the Bruins, who in the first round trailed No. 7 Plainview by four at halftime before rallying for a 54-44 victory. Henry scored half of his team-high 16 points in the fourth quarter to lead the comeback. Jayden McKenzie had 12 points and Blackett chipped in 11.

“Anyone is capable of leading us on any given night,” Burton said.

Baldwin is seeking its first county championship in four seasons. “Uniondale is very talented and has something that we want,” Burton added. “It’s a great rivalry and always a great game.”