By Steve Siniski
"We had all seniors starting for the first time and we wanted to do it for Nikko [Callendar]," coach Darius Burton said, referring to his senior guard who wasn't with the team due to a death in the family. "The key was the crowd. It was a huge crowd and a college-like atmosphere."
The victory clinched second place in the league for Baldwin and likely earned them a No. 4 seed in the upcoming Nassau County playoff tournament. By virtue of the finish, the Bruins also have a first-round bye and a full 12 days off before the second round on February 22.
"It's a positive and a negative," Burton said of the long layoff.
"Aaron Weaver has been injured and Nikko [Callendar] may need some time to get back into basketball [mode]. I may try and find a scrimmage against a team from another conference."
Weaver, hobbled by an ankle injury, posted a double-double (10 points, 11 rebounds) along with Scott Henderson (13,10). While Henderson has become Mr. Consistency for Baldwin over the second half, the offense continues to get scoring contributions from a number of sources. Seniors Ricky Manigat (nine points) and Isaac Wade (8) made the most of their first starts of the year, and Chris Dash added eight points.
Because of their aggressive play, Baldwin went to the free-throw line 30 times, converting 17. On the other side of the floor, the Bruins forced the Tigers to shoot from the perimeter, a proven strategy. Saddled by the rotating players in front of them, Hempstead found itself in a huge halftime hole, 35-13. When the final buzzer sounded, Baldwin had limited the Tigers to single-digit point totals in three of the four quarters.
"We went to more of a zone press and zone for most of the game," Burton said. "We wanted to stop their guard penetration."
Prior to sweeping the season series with the Tigers, Baldwin walked away with double-digit wins over Port Washington (58-45 on February 7) and East Meadow (65-51 on February 3). Dash totaled a team-high of 23 points in the wins, while Weaver and Henderson chipped in with a combined 21 each.
"We've won without [Aaron] Weaver, [Chris] Dash and now [Nikko] Callendar," Burton said. "No one person is bigger than the team. And you can't focus on one player."
The more the Bruins have played, the easier it's been for roles to be defined and rotations to be decided on. Heading into the postseason, there's no doubting Baldwin's ability to play to its strengths.
"Do what you do best," Burton said. "Don't try to be something you're not."
Burton also reflected on the team's progress.
"We're looking forward to the playoffs and getting the bye," he said. "We'll take it one game at a time and hope to bring a County Championship back."
