Thursday, October 1, 2026
After a scoreless drought of more than eight minutes spanning the third and fourth quarters transformed Baldwin’s 9-point lead over Half Hollow Hills West into a deficit of 5, the Bruins’ dynamic duo of Shane Gatling and Jared Rhoden took over down the stretch of last Sunday’s Long Island Class AA boys’ basketball championship game.
Gatling netted 9 of his 26 points and Rhoden scored six of his 11 in the final 2:41 as Baldwin closed the game on a 15-point run to secure a 65-55 victory before a thundering crowd of more than 3,000 at LIU Post. Gatling matched his jersey number by going a perfect 11 for 11 from the foul line, including seven attempts in the fourth quarter, while Rhoden iced the program’s third L.I. title in nine seasons with an emphatic dunk with 16 seconds to go.
“As leaders and captains, we had to make big shots,” Rhoden said of himself and Gatling, who had 11 first-half points to help the Bruins (23-1) build a 34-26 lead. “Coach [Darius] Burton kept our huddle calm after they pulled ahead in the third quarter,” he added. “We finally made some defensive stops, and then Shane got some key steals and hit big free throws.”
Juniors Jabeon Bivins had 8 points, while Zion Stephens and Elijah Bovell added 7 apiece for Baldwin, which captured its first L.I. championship since the 2011-12 campaign and will face Middletown (Section IX) in a state Class AA semifinal at Glens Falls Civic Center on Saturday at 2:15 p.m. The winner will play either Aquinas Institute or Shenendehowa for the state championship on Sunday at 3:15 p.m.
“We’ve never won a game upstate, but I think we’ve got a team capable of doing it,” Burton said. “It’s very important to us. We want to break the spell and make history.”
Richard Altenord (20), Kian Dalrymple (14) and Cameron Jordan (10) scored in double figures for the Colts, who matched their first-half production with a 26-point third quarter. Altenord, who twice went down with leg cramps in the second half, slashed his way to the rim for four baskets during Hills West’s surge, which continued early in the fourth with three free throws that put it ahead 55-50 with less than five minutes left.
“I just told the kids to stay the course,” Burton said. “Most of our big men were in foul trouble, so we had to play zone more than we wanted. Once we switched back to man-to-man, we kept them away from the basket.”
Baldwin’s offensive drought ended with a Rhoden pull-up jumper from the foul line, then Gatling went end to end following a steal for an acrobatic layup while drawing a foul. His free throw tied it at 55 with 2:34 to go. “I was thinking all along of trying to draw contact for the and-one,” Gatling said.
Rhoden picked up his fourth foul 10 seconds later, but he put the Bruins ahead for good on their next possession with another mid-range jumper. The Colts’ next two possessions resulted in turnovers and trips to the line for Gatling, who calmly sank four free throws in a span of 46 seconds to make it 61-55 with under a minute to play.
“Big players step up in big-time moments,” Burton said.
