Defense keys Baldwin's statement win

Bruins hand Northport first loss

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Like a scientist trying to find the right formula, Baldwin head coach Darius Burton had to work nine new faces into the Bruins’ lineup this winter and do it in a short amount of time.

Consider last Saturday’s 70-48 victory over the last unbeaten boys’ basketball team on Long Island — Northport — proof that he’s found the right mixture. “We’re playing our best ball at the right time,” Burton said. “We go 8-9-10 deep. Our depth is still there, but the chemistry is coming along at the right time.”

The Bruins improved to 14-2 overall and closed out the non-league portion of their regular season by running away from the Tigers in the second half. After senior Shane Gatling, a two-time All-County honoree, scored the final five points of the first half to give Baldwin a 33-29 edge, the Bruins’ defense clamped down in the third quarter, the offense took off and the team never looked back. “It was a statement game,” Burton said. “It was a great game for the program and hopefully it opened people’s eyes when they open the paper.”

Over the final 16 minutes, Baldwin outscored Northport 37-19, and in the fourth quarter, the Tigers made just three baskets, all on three-pointers. “We wore them down,” Burton said. “We pressured them for 32 minutes [and after halftime] went to more of a diamond zone.”

Gatling led the way on offense with 21 points, while junior Jared Rhoden turned in a dominating and well-rounded performance with 17 points, 10 rebounds, four steals and three blocked shots. Junior Jabeon Bivins scored 12 points, and senior center Justin Caldwell scored nine points and pulled down seven rebounds in the low post. “When we’re wearing [teams] down we get layups, dunks and threes and [our] energy feeds off of that,” Burton said.

Baldwin brought plenty of energy to the table the night before knocking off Northport by defeating Hicksville, 69-30, in a Conference AA-II battle. In the Bruins’ 40th straight Conference AA-II victory, and seventh this season, they jumped out of the gates with a 23-7 lead after the first quarter and cruised from there. “We knew we had a back-to-back set so we wanted to jump on them early,” Burton said of the importance of getting out to a quick start.

Rhoden scored a game-high 18 points and added seven rebounds, six steals and five assists, while junior Elijah Bovell scored 10 points. A total of 12 different Baldwin players scored at least two points in the win. “The ball scores not the man,” Burton said of the team’s philosophy when they’re moving the ball around on offense.

One more win over the course of the final three Conference AA-II games would make it five consecutive regular-season crowns for the Bruins. They host East Meadow in the finale on Monday at 7 p.m. and already own an 81-40 victory over the Jets. In that win on Jan. 19, Rhoden (19 points), Bivins (15) and junior power forward Zion Stephens (12) all topped double figures in the scoring column.