Bruins return to county finals

For the sixth time in nine seasons, Baldwin and Uniondale will battle for the Nassau Class AA boys’ basketball championship.

The top-seeded Bruins punched their ticket to the finals for the eighth time under head coach Darius Burton with a 64-44 victory over No. 4 Freeport in a semifinal matchup at Hofstra last Friday night. Senior Daraja Rodwell and junior Shane Gatling had 16 points apiece, while senior Paul Nosworthy led the defense in the paint and pulled down 10 rebounds.

“It feels good to get back to the finals,” Burton said. “The first quarter wasn’t us; we gave up 16 points when we allow only 42 per game on average. But then we started creating chaos, getting steals and deflections. We like to score in transition.”

Baldwin (18-1) faces No. 3 Uniondale, a 55-41 winner over second-seeded Elmont in the other semifinal, in the county title game this Saturday at Hofstra at 3:30 p.m. The Bruins hold a 3-2 edge over the Knights in championship meetings dating back to the 2007-08 campaign.

“It’s a longstanding rivalry,” Burton said. “It seems like we can’t win a title without going through Uniondale. With the exception of once, all the games came down to the wire.”

Baldwin, which lost in the semifinals to eventual county champion Farmingdale last winter, made sure there was no such result against Freeport. A three-pointer by sophomore Jared Rhoden (eight points) allowed the Bruins to pull even by the end of the opening quarter, and after Gatling’s trey early in the second they never looked back. They enjoyed a 13-0 run that included an electrifying dunk by senior Juwaan Brown and held a 35-24 lead at halftime.

“We started playing team defense in the second quarter and we were a little excited after we started making some shots too,” said Rodwell, who hit four three-pointers, giving him a program-record 67 on the season.

Seniors Marcel Smiley (14) and Jordan Curtis (11) scored in double figures for the Red Devils, who inched within 47-38 early in the fourth before another dunk by Brown sent Baldwin on its way.

“Our best offense is our defense,” said Burton, “but were also hard to guard. You’ve got to pick your poison against us.

“Freeport likes to play zone, and I thought that will help us with the way Daraja, Shane and Jared shoot from the outside,” he added.

The Bruins had nine players score for a second consecutive playoff game. Brown and senior Marvin Charletain contributed six points apiece. After receiving a first-round bye, Baldwin defeated No. 8 MacArthur, 66-30, at home in the quarterfinals on Feb. 19. Rodwell and Gatling had 15 points apiece, Rhoden added 12, Nosworthy had 10 rebounds, and senior Paul Colson chipped in six points and nine assists.