Lady Bruins not slowing down

When a team finally wins a championship in any sport, it may be natural for them to grow stale and less hungry as it enters the following season. But that is certainly not the case for the Baldwin girls’ basketball team.

Ten months after knocking off four-time state-champion Ossining in capturing the first state title in program history, the Lady Bruins are poised to defend their championship by reeling off 11 straight wins to open the 2017-18 campaign, including a comfortable 75-27 win over Herricks last Friday in which they held a 31-0 advantage after the first quarter.

The four-time defending Nassau County champions are averaging just over 68 points a game, while its traditionally sound defense is yielding just under 33. Its average margin of victory through last Friday is just under 36 points.

 “For me, it’s been the most experienced team I’ve ever had,” head coach Tom Catapano said. “I think we’re very complete both inside and outside. They’re battle tested.”

This year’s squad is upper-classman heavy with six seniors and six juniors with just one sophomore, but Catapano believes the annual goals of the county title and return trips to the state championships will remain for future seasons instead of seeing a window of opportunity close at the end of this winter.

“I think that every year, the expectation is always that high goal,” Catapano said. “Losing six seniors will leave a tremendous hole, but I think the younger kids will step up like they’ve always done.”

The Lady Bruins are again led by senior guard Aziah Hudson, the school’s all-time leading scorer who is again among the top offensive players in the county. She is averaging 16 points a game through Friday and has enjoyed five games of over 20 points, including a season-high 23 in a 62-46 victory over nationally-ranked St. Frances Academy of Maryland on Jan. 13.

“She’s the best forward that I’ve ever coached,” Catapano said. “She’s just having another dynamic year. Her toughness and her competitiveness separate her from the rest.”

The St. Frances game was especially satisfying for the Lady Bruins because they led by just two points after the third quarter before outscoring the Lady Panthers 23-9 in the fourth. Senior Jenna Annecchiarico had 18 points and junior Kaia Harrison (10 points, 11 rebounds) and senior Destiny Samuel (10-10) added double-doubles.

St. Frances is ranked 33rd in the USA Today high school girls’ basketball poll.

“It was such a tight game for the first three quarters and we blew it open in the end,” Catapano said. “I think it was an identity game for us and we passed the test.”

Catapano said that his team “is in a good place right now” and remains cautiously optimistic for a second straight state title.

“We just really focus on one day at a time and focus on the journey rather than the destination,” he said. “If we do the right thing every single day, hopefully we’ll give ourselves a chance to play at the end of the year.”