Baldwin title streak on the line

The .500 team with four first-year starters braced for its first league matchup, poised to learn where it really stood after turnover took a heavy toll.
Playing to a draw at halftime, the Baldwin girls’ basketball team fought for a late lead and outlasted host Plainview 47-43 in the teams’ Conference AA-2 opener in December. The gutsy win, which lifted Baldwin to 4-3 overall, would be the club’s last close shave in the regular season – and the first of 10 league victories bringing Baldwin’s streak to six full seasons unbeaten in conference, amid a run of 10 consecutive league titles.
“That Plainview game showed we could compete, but it also was a wake-up call,” said Baldwin head coach Tom Catapano, whose club finished 10-0 in AA-2, 14-5 overall, and enters the Nassau Class AA playoffs as the No. 2 seed facing seventh-seeded East Meadow in the first round Feb. 19 at Baldwin. “It was an early-season scare that made the girls realize they’d have to step up their game to another level.”
Despite its six-time defending county Class AA champion status, Baldwin began its campaign with “some concern over lack of experience,” Catapano said, but steadily has seen its identity – and future – come into focus with the rise of precocious underclassmen, accompanied by improved former reserves making the most of first-string promotions.
Freshman forward Dallyssha Moreno leads all Lady Bruins scorers averaging 8.8 points per game, while junior Nayeli Dowding set the team’s season-high with 18 points against Ward Melville – a figure later matched by senior backcourt mate Dana Elcock (7.9 ppg) in Baldwin’s second meeting with Plainview.

“It was only a matter of time before Dallyssha exploded onto the scene,” Catapano said of the second-year varsity ninth-grader. “The sky’s the limit for her. Nayeli’s great at stretching defenses by knocking down the long ball. Dana’s also become a dangerous three-point shooter, and I think her best is still to come.”
A diffuse group of contributors has forged Baldwin’s league-leading offense (55.7 ppg), with no single scorer’s average hitting double digits. Junior Laila Elor is third on the club scoring 6.7 points a game, followed by eighth-grader Rannelle Grunnum (6 ppg) and senior Elena Randolph (5.7 ppg).
“We’re difficult to scout,” Catapano said. “On any given night we have multiple players that can have a big game.”
Buoyed by the marking skills of senior point guard Roxanna Gayle, the Lady Bruins also boast AA-2’s top defense, allowing 26.3 points per contest. “We’re still a defensive-minded team,” Catapano said. “Roxanna’s been our stopper. She’s extremely disruptive to the other teams’ best guards.”
Next on Baldwin’s agenda is trying to extend its county-title streak – a tall order very possibly entailing a title-game rematch with top-seeded Syosset (12-0 in AA-1, 18-0 overall), Baldwin’s finals victim last year.
“We’ve got a different kind of group than in years past, but they’ve seized the moment,” Catapano said. “I’m excited to see what the future holds. These girls are grinders, and they’re figuring it out.”