By Steve Siniski
nor did they don capes coming out of intermission in last Friday's road battle with rival Freeport. But they both played like Superman over the game's final 16 minutes, scoring all 41 of the Bruins' points in the third and fourth quarters (9-3 overall, 5-2 Conference AA-I play) of a crucial 67-56 victory.
With a busy week ahead capped by this Friday's home rematch with Hempstead at 5 p.m., the win was the best way for Baldwin to kick off the stretch run.
"It all came together for him," coach Darius Burton said of Manning, who scored 24 of his career-high 29 points in the second half. "I'm proud of him because he works so hard. Defensively, he's all over the place."
The final line for Manning included a 9 of 11 performance from the floor, along with three shots from behind the arc, six steals, five assists and five rebounds. He also converted 6 of 8 attempts from the free-throw line.
Woods, meanwhile, continued his breakout campaign for the Bruins with 23 points (17 after the half). He nailed a game-high four three-pointers and made the Red Devils pay for fouling him in the act of shooting. Woods converted 7 of 11 free throws.
But while the final numbers for the duo are gaudy, the victory was hardly driven by Baldwin's offense. Instead, the second-half surge was keyed by the entry of guard Brandon Ellis into the starting lineup and key rebounding, particularly from Scott Henderson.
"[Brandon] Ellis [picked up] the defensive intensity and the whole team followed," Burton said.
Freeport took a six-point lead after one quarter, but Baldwin's man-to-man trap caused fits over the final three-quarters and led to more than a small handful of easy transition baskets.
"It was a challenge and they answered the call," Burton said.
The offensive alignment of Manning, Ellis and Fred Lopez all running the point at times also proved to be potent.
"We had a lot of points off turnovers and a lot in the half-court," Burton said. "Freeport went to a zone, so we did a lot of drive and dish."
The rematch against the Tigers will continue a stretch in which Baldwin plays 5 of 6 games at home, a fact not lost on Burton.
"Our home crowd has been great every game," Burton said. "[They have] Bleacher Creature shirts and have been big. I love them to death. They help us out tremendously. If I were a player it would be a tough place to play. The crowd gets on you and it's like a college atmosphere."
The run of home games could provide the team with the boost it needs in making a strong push to the postseason. Following the Hempstead game, the Bruins close looking to even the score with Uniondale at home on Feb. 6 at 7 p.m., and then at Massapequa on Feb. 9 at 7 p.m. The Bruins face Elmont at home on Feb. 12 at 7 p.m.
"It's in our hands," Burton said. "We couldn't ask for a better situation."
