Baldwin rolling in conference play

Oceanside concluded the first half of its inaugural campaign in Nassau Conference AA-II by getting an up-close and personal view of one of the top girls’ basketball programs in the state last Saturday afternoon.

The Lady Sailors, who entered the game winners of eight of their first 10, fell behind host Baldwin by 18 points after one quarter and got no closer on the way to suffering a 67-23 defeat. The defending Long Island Class AA champs got a game-high 18 points from senior Jade Aponte, who shot 6-for-8 from three-point land, and 11 points from freshman Aziah Hudson.

“We plan a really difficult non-league schedule to get us ready for conference games,” head coach Tom Catapano said after the Lady Bruins improved to 5-0 in AA-II and 6-2 overall. “We’ve played Bishop Loughlin, which is probably the favorite to win the Catholic league in the city, and Francis Lewis, last year’s city champ, as well as St. Mary’s,” he added.

Baldwin, which has won every conference game by at least 30 points, raced to a 39-12 halftime lead against Oceanside behind the lights-out shooting of Aponte, one of a handful of key returnees. “To be honest, in the six years I’m coaching here, Jade’s been the best shooter we’ve had,” Catapano said of Aponte, a three-sport standout. “She makes it hard for teams to play zone against us. She’s great, and she always has the green light.”

Junior Risa Zucker scored 12 points to lead Oceanside, which stands at 3-3 in conference games. “I really think with the exception of Baldwin, the conference is wide-open,” Lady Sailors head coach Jason Manning said. “We’ve been playing well, but they’re so good. When you watch film on them, you use it as a learning experience and as a goal of where you want to be someday. Baldwin pressures the ball like nobody else. It’s a privilege to play against such a tremendous team.”

Along with Aponte, senior Taylor Howell and freshmen Hudson and Jenna Annecchiarico give the Lady Bruins a relentless set of guards. “They’re so quick on defense,” Manning said. “There are possessions they don’t even let you get shots away.”

Hudson is off to a big start offensively, Catapano said, thanks in part to a move to wing. “She got a lot of varsity experience as an eighth-grader and played a big AAU schedule,” he said. “I think she feels more comfortable on the wing and added another dimension to her game. She’s improved as an outside shooter.”

Hudson had 23 points and 10 rebounds to lead the Lady Bruins over St. Mary’s, 63-54, on Dec. 29. Nine of her points came from behind the arc, and six came from the foul line. Aponte added 18 points, and junior forward Lames ElGammal was dominant in the post with 17 points and 20 rebounds. 

Baldwin tips off the second half of the AA-II slate this Saturday at 1 p.m. against visiting East Meadow.

“The two things we can improve are conditioning and finishing around the rim,” Catapano said.