Baldwin passes stiff Uniondale test

From the moment Sherrol Sharpe belted out a spectacular rendition of the National Anthem, the atmosphere in Baldwin High School’s gymnasium Friday evening was as electric as it’s been in quite some time for a regular-season girls’ basketball game.

And visiting Uniondale made sure the outcome was still in doubt in the fourth quarter against the nine-time defending county champion Bruins, who pulled away late for a 55-41 Conference AAA victory. Junior Monique Echols shot 4 of 6 from behind the arc and finished with a season-high 17 points and junior Payton Dulin scored 10 of her 15 points in the second half as Baldwin (11-2 overall) remained undefeated against Nassau competition.

“It was an intense game and we were able to make enough plays to come away with the win,” Baldwin head coach Tom Catapano said. “Uniondale brought it and deserves a lot of credit. They’ve been playing well all season and they’re a dangerous team.

“There are some aspects of our game we need to work on and improve,” he added. “Our press needs to be better and we didn’t have a great shooting night.”

Sophomore guard Eniola Adisa had a strong effort for the Knights (13-3 overall, 6-3 in AAA) with a game-high 19 points and only a few turnovers against a relentless Baldwin defense. Forward Darrian Jackson, their lone senior starter, added 15 points and 12 rebounds.

“I can see the emotion in their faces they felt like they could win this game,” Uniondale head coach Nolan Dunkley said. “It was a playoff environment and a great experience for our young team. I’m proud of how we weren’t intimidated and hung in there all night with mental toughness.”

Despite difficulty from the free throw line (8-for-24) and 5-foot-11 sophomore forwards Zahara Saintyl and Kayla Reid saddled with foul trouble in the second half, the Knights stayed within striking distance until midway through the fourth quarter after a strange third that saw only Adisa (6 points) and Dulin (4) hit shots for their respective teams.

Baldwin, which led 33-24 at halftime thanks to a buzzer-beating trey by sophomore Alyssa Polonia, went up by 13 early in the fourth on transition baskets by Dulin and senior Renelle Grannum before Uniondale made another push and got as close as seven on several occasions.

Echols scored seven straight Bruins points to answer a pair of Saintyl buckets and free throws from Jackson and Adisa to help the hosts hold on.

“Monique had a great game,” Catapano said of Echols. “She hit some big shots at key times.”

The loss snapped a five-game winning streak for the Knights, who opened the campaign with eight straight victories before falling to Plainview and Syosset. Jackson ranks among Nassau’s scoring leaders at 20.3 ppg.

“We have positive-negative sessions at practice and free throws is probably the only negative from tonight,” Dunkley said. “It’s hard to be disappointed after an effort like this. I’m pleased where we’re at.”