By Steve Siniski
Lawrence ran out to a 22-point first half lead over the Bruins the day before in a first-round battle, backing Baldwin into an uncomfortable and unfamiliar position. After chipping away in the second quarter, however, Baldwin cut the deficit to 37-23 at intermission.
"It was a gradual team effort," Bruins coach Darius Burton said. "Our defensive intensity picked up and we held them to nine points in the third quarter and seven in the fourth."
Burton benched his entire starting five for an extended stretch early, then saw a different team come out of the locker room in the third quarter. Led by Chris Dash (eight points in the third) and Aaron Weaver, who scored nine in the fourth, Baldwin walked away with a 64-53 win over the Golden Tornadoes.
"We preach defense, defense, defense," Burton said. "If we don't get the stops, we can't get out and run. We weren't working hard and doing what we are capable of. But sooner or later we'll wear the other team down. We can turn a four point lead into a 12-point lead in a matter of minutes."
Boosted by the heroics of the previous day, little was left to the imagination in the victory over Glen Cove. Aaron Weaver scored a game- high of 13 points, but the win was more about defense than how many points were on the board. Baldwin limited the Big Red to single-digit point totals in the final three-quarters behind a suffocating full-court defense. Just four Glen Cove players made the box score. "We started with a bang and never looked back," Burton said of a 20-11 lead after the opening eight minutes.
The catalyst for Baldwin on both sides of the floor has been the back-court tandem of Brandon Ellis and Nikko Callendar. The former starter at the point last year, Callendar now mans the two-guard position but still leads the team in assists and has made big strides with his decision-making.
Ellis, meanwhile, has worked his way into the starting rotation, where his ability to create off the dribble opens up shots for the Bruins dead-on perimeter shooters. In the victory over Glen Cove, Baldwin canned seven three-pointers from a total of five different players and 11 players found the bottom of the hoop in all.
"We like to put the ball in Brandon's hand in the open floor," Burton said. "The biggest surprise has been our depth on the bench. No spot [in the playing rotation] is guaranteed and that helps the team."
Burton continued:
"The guys know that if they don't get the job done I'll find someone who will. Performances are better [in practice] when you know you have a chance to get in [the game]. With our depth and the way we play defense, sooner or later we're going to go on those runs."
The Bruins returned to the floor on January 3 against Plainview JFK. A victory would allow Burton, 98-27 overall, to try for his 100th career victory at Elmont on January 6 (4:30 p.m.).
"[The team] is confident and starting to get on a roll and get the swagger back," Burton said.
