Baldwin rolling into playoffs

Forward Kyle Richardson scored 12 points, pulled down 15 rebounds, and blocked seven shots to lead visiting Baldwin to a 59-49 victory over stubborn Port Washington last Friday in boys’ basketball action.

The Bruins have won 11 straight games, and haven’t lost a conference game since the 2008-09 season.

Baldwin, which improved to 13-0 in Conference AA-II, 14-2 overall, got 15 points, seven steals, six assists and four rebounds from Mykeil Tzul. Port Washington’s Josh Feshbach scored a career-high 23 points to lead all scorers. 

Baldwin coach Darius Burton likes the makeup of his team as it readies for a playoff run. “We’ve been playing better of late, and have a done an excellent job defending,” Burton said. “We need to execute better on offense, but I like the way we’re playing as we get set for the playoffs.”

Baldwin is expected to enter the Class AA playoffs as the No. 2 seed behind Uniondale. The Bruins haven’t lost a game since being upset by Roslyn, 61-60, in the opener of their annual Holiday Tournament. 

In the victory over Port Washington, the Bruins ran out to a 14-2 lead in the opening quarter and appeared to be on their way to a rout. However, the Vikings chipped away and cut the lead to just eight points in the final quarter. The Bruins put the game away from the line down the stretch.

Year in, year out, Baldwin has a reputation of being a team that epitomizes the whole being greater than sum of its parts. This year is no different. Five players average eight or more points per game.

Senior point guard Brandon Williams, a three-year varsity player, is the team’s leading scorer and catalyst. Williams, a two-year captain, is averaging 13.7 points and 7.9 assists per contest. He scored a career-high 27 points in a 73-61 win over MacArthur.

Richardson, an All-County honoree as a junior, is averaging 13.4 points and 10.1 rebounds in his senior season. He has registered 10 double-doubles for the season, and has hit on 62.8 percent of his two-point field goals. 

Senior guard Andres Gonzalez missed six games with an ankle injury, but the sharpshooter, who is averaging 8.7 points, recently returned to the lineup. Gonzalez is shooting 44 percent from three-point land.

Tzul has been rock-solid. The senior guard is averaging 10.4 points and 4.5 assists per game. Tzul scored a career-high 19 points in an early season victory over East Meadow.

Senior Kirk Staine has been a steady performer in the paint. The 6-foot-5 center has put up 8.7 points while pulling down seven boards per game.

Burton likes the team’s versatility. “Opponents can’t come out against us and try to beat us by shutting one player down,” Burton said. “It’s playoff time now. Uniondale has the county’s best player, and should be the team to beat. The nice thing is that you don’t have to win a series, you just have to beat a team once.”