Perhaps still dealing with some of the aftershock from a 13-point defeat three days earlier, Baldwin allowed an uncharacteristic 16 opening-quarter points to visiting Plainview last Saturday before regaining its form of the first two months as it aims for a fourth straight Nassau County boys’ basketball title.
The Bruins exploded for 23 points in the second quarter and never trailed thereafter on the way to a 58-41 victory. Sophomore forward Gabe Phillips was dominant in the paint and finished with 20 points and 17 rebounds, while junior guard Chase Timberlake filled the stat sheet with 18 points, 6 rebounds, 5 assists and 3 steals. Ryan Hosein led all scorers with 22 points for the Hawks, who were held to four points in the final quarter.
“We didn’t come out with our usual defensive intensity, but then we picked it up,” said Baldwin head coach Darius Burton, who inched closer to the 400-win milestone with No. 395 as his team improved to 4-1 in Conference AAA and 11-3 overall. “We went to a full-court trap in the second quarter and forced some turnovers and also shot a lot better,” he added.
Timberlake scored 10 points in the second quarter, including a pair of shots from three-point land, and Phillips added 6. Senior Shane Mauldin had 8 points on the afternoon and senior Brian Simms-Biggs came off the bench to add 8 points and 8 rebounds.
“Brian gave us a big life,” Burton said of Simms-Biggs. “He’s been working really hard in practice and got rewarded with some playing time and stepped up. He’s probably worked his way into the rotation.”