Defense keys Baldwin win

Baldwin’s one-point loss to Roslyn, 61-60, in the opening round of the annual Shanee Brown Holiday Tournament hosted by the Bruins on Dec. 27, certainly turned a few heads and may have even raised a few eyebrows.

But perhaps a silver lining exists after Baldwin (3-2 overall, 2-0 in Conference AA-II play) bounced back with a 51-42 win over Deer Park in the consolation game the following afternoon. The last time the Bruins failed to win the championship in the tournament, in 2008, they ended up winning the Nassau County Class AA championship.

“It was a total team effort,” coach Darius Burton said of the win over the Falcons, who are ranked among the top teams on Long Island. “I am proud because it could have been two long days, but they showed [heart].”

Senior point guard Brandon Williams finished with 17 points, five rebounds, five assists and three steals and helped the Bruins take control in the third quarter. By outscoring Deer Park, 21-8, Baldwin turned a four-point halftime deficit into a nine-point advantage on the scoreboard. The Falcons, who scored at least 64 points in each of their first four games and more than 80 twice, were limited to just 19 second-half points by Baldwin. “We went from a zone press to more of a zone and that slowed them down,” Burton said.

Senior center Kirk Staine pulled down a team-high 12 rebounds, while junior Jordan Williams chipped in with seven points and seven boards. In the first-round loss to the Bulldogs, senior Mykeil Tzul led all scorers with 14 points, while Williams, named to the all-tournament team, had 11. Roslyn had three players score 10.

Victories over East Meadow (85-63 on Dec. 20) and Valley Stream Central (84-50 on Dec. 16) left the Bruins as the only team in Conference AA-II without a loss — six teams entered the New Year at 1-1 and the other at 0-2 — but there’s plenty of work to be done over the remaining 14 games, all within the conference. “We’re still trying to figure out the rotation but it’s early,” Burton said.

The rotation, which is running up to 10 deep, includes senior shooting guard Andres Gonzalez, who’s drained a team-high 10 three-pointers in five games, senior swingman Kyle Richardson a returning All-County performer who had a double-double of 19 points and 15 rebounds in the win over the Jets, and senior Rashid Lasane. “It’s taking time to mesh together,” Burton said, noting that the backcourt tandem of Williams and Tzul is still developing a comfort level in balancing their own shots while at the same time setting up their teammates. “[Mykeil and Brandon] can both handle the ball and are both doing a good job playing off each other.”

After traveling to MacArthur on Friday for a 6:15 p.m. tipoff, Baldwin is at Plainview-JFK for a 4:45 p.m. start on Tuesday.