Baldwin advances to semifinals

Baldwin senior point guard Norman Wilson picked an ideal time to put up his season high in points. 

Wilson capped a 19-point performance by going 4-for-4 from the foul line in the final 18.5 seconds to lift the third-seeded Bruins to a 58-55 victory over No. 6 Massapequa in a Nassau Class AA boys’ basketball quarterfinal playoff game on Feb. 22.

“It was Norman’s best game of the season,” Baldwin head coach Darius Burton said. “He stepped up to the plate and I’m proud of him. His jumper has improved and he’s making better decisions.”

Junior Nasim Cylin added 13 points and senior Derrick Ruffin chipped in 12 for two-time defending county champion Baldwin (16-4), which advanced to face second-seeded Westbury in the semis, after presstime, with a spot in this Saturday’s title game at 6:30 p.m. at Hofstra on the line. Chris Wasson poured in a game-high 27 for Massapequa, which trailed by as many as a dozen in the first half but nearly forced overtime.

“I knew they were going to come to play,” Burton said. “It didn’t surprise me at all. We knocked them out in the semis last season and they brought a lot of kids back. The revenge factor was in play, but we found a way to get it done.”

Baldwin took a 42-35 lead into the fourth and stretched the advantage to 10 with five minutes remaining on senior Jon Smith’s basket. Slowly, the Chiefs chipped away. It was down to a two-possession game after Wasson’s traditional three-point play with 1:39 to go.

“That’s where our tough non-league games come into play,” Burton said. “Being in those pressure situations and in loud environments before helped us.”

After Wilson and Bryce Paladino traded clutch baskets, Cylin sank one of two free throws to give the Bruins a 54-48 lead with less than a minute remaining in regulation. Massapequa responded once again with a banker by Wasson and a trey by Brendan Nichtern and was within 54-53 with under 20 seconds left.

Wilson’s first trip to the line in crunch time came with 18.6 seconds remaining and he calmly sank both ends of a one-and-one to make it 56-53. The Bruins breathe a heavy sigh of relief after Wasson, who was fouled behind the arc, missed the second of three free throws with 8.1 left. With Baldwin’s lead at 56-55, the Chiefs once again fouled Wilson and paid the price. He drained two more free throws with 8.6 seconds on the clock, and Massapequa’s game-tying prayer went unanswered.

 “We’ll take it,” Burton said. “It’s that time of the year where there’s no tomorrow. Survive and move on.”

Next is a rubber match with Westbury. The Conference AA-II rivals split regular-season meetings with each winning on the road. Top-seeded Uniondale and No. 4 Syosset meet in the other semifinal. 

“Westbury is very talented and athletic,” Burton said. “I’m hoping on college-sized court, our depth and pressure can wear them down.”