By STEVE SINISKI
Some thought the game could have impacted the Bruins (18-1) No. 1 seeding, although by the looks of the post-season matchup, that notion couldn't have been further from the truth.
The Bruins, who won the first meeting between the teams in January (71-40), took the added motivation and blew out Hempstead for the second time last Friday, 56-33, in the quarterfinal round. Only two Tigers scored points, and Baldwin's defense held Hempstead to single-digit point totals in three of the four quarters. The Bruins winning streak has now been stretched to 16 games.
"It's phenomenal," Baldwin coach Darius Burton said of allowing just two Hempstead players to make the scoresheet. "It's a tribute to the way we play. Every shot was contested and the guys have all bought into the fact that the ball is more important than the man. If one of our defenders gets beat, there's always someone behind him [stepping up]. Defense is the key to championships."
With the win, Baldwin advanced to the semifinal round for a game with fifth-seeded Farmingdale (14-6) on Wed., Feb. 26. The winner jumps into the final round against the Uniondale/Freeport victor in a game that will be played on Sat., Mar. 1 at 5:30 p.m.
Brian Spencer showed that's he's back at full strength after sitting out much of the year with a broken wrist, scoring a team-high 13 points with 10 rebounds and five assists. In the paint, the ever-improving Brandon Harris added eight points, 11 boards and seven big blocked shots.
"The last thing to come back was his jumper," Burton said of Harris. "We're glad to have his leadership back on the court. His shot is starting to fall and he's playing great. He's always the last to leave the gym, and most times I have to kick him out."
For Baldwin, this is the second straight year it's advanced to the semifinal round, and Burton already knows what adjustments will be made at the neutral site of Old Westbury's arena. "It was difficult for the guys to hear me from the sidelines last year [when calling offensive plays]," Burton said. "So this year, we'll have our point guard {Danny Cepero] taking on more of a role in running the offense.
"And last year I think we moved away from doing what had gotten us there. We tried to focus on just beating Uniondale. This year, there are no hidden secrets. We're going to continue going down low in the halfcourt and let the threes fly in transition if we get good looks. And on defense we're still going to come at you."
armingdale's Jabary Moore will be a challenge for the Bruins in the paint, as will Corey Hall and Matt Danowski on the perimeter, but Baldwin's depth could be the biggest difference in how the game turns out.
In the quarterfinal round, the Dalers used just seven players, something the Bruins will be sure to try and exploit. Burton's confidence in his team allows him to rotate fresh bodies in and use seemingly endless combinations of successful presses and traps.
"Our depth can prevail," Burton said. "We're going to press and make them work for everything and wear them down. Farmingdale is a team that knows how to win. But the pressure is on them. They have to try and stop us. It's tough to prepare for us if you haven't played against us."
