Baldwin repeats as Class AA champs

Baldwin once again entered the month of March like a lion.

The top-seeded Bruins captured their second consecutive Nassau County Class AA boys’ basketball championship — and third in seven seasons — with a 64-44 victory over No. 6 Uniondale at Hofstra University last Saturday night. The Knights have played the role of potential foil five times during Baldwin’s seven consecutive finals appearances, and the Bruins have won three of the meetings, including the last two.

“This is great to see,” Baldwin coach Darius Burton said. “It’s a mindset, it’s a mentality and it’s a work ethic. It’s a great feeling going back-to-back for the first time in school history. They find ways to win and know how to win.”

The Bruins will return to Hofstra this Saturday to face Suffolk County’s Class AA champion, Northport, in the Long Island Championship at 7:30 p.m. The winner advances to the New York State Public High School Athletic Association Final Four in Glens Falls the following weekend.

After holding the Knights at arm’s length for the first three quarters, Baldwin (16-3) exploded for 24 points in the fourth, led by senior Elijah McMillan, who scored eight points in the frame, and senior Eric Mack, who scored seven of his team-high 17.

“[Eric] Mack was the reason we pulled away in the fourth quarter,” senior point guard Travais Hylton said. “When the team was struggling, he really pulled us up.”

Mack controlled the glass and the paint for much of the game — he had a game-high 14 rebounds and eight blocks — and the
Bruins had contributions from everyone that stepped on the floor in the fourth quarter. Five different players scored in the final eight minutes, including senior Oluwa
Bembury, who had one bucket and set up a pair of others with perfectly placed passes through the paint to McMillan and junior Jordan Williams.

“It was difficult [to get going] because Uniondale’s pressure is very good,” Mack said. “But Travais and Oluwa did a great job.”