Baldwin beats HHH East for L.I. title

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Saturday evening’s Long Island Class AA Championship against Half Hollow Hills East was extra special for Baldwin senior Jamir Stewart.

The third-year varsity player was a sophomore in 2020 when the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic suddenly canceled the Bruins’ season just days after they captured a county title. Stewart took full advantage of his long-awaited opportunity with 22 points to propel Baldwin to a 79-68 win at Hofstra’s Mack Sports Complex and punch his team a ticket to the state semifinals.

“I worked hard for this and the team especially worked hard for this,” said Stewart, whose truncated junior season last year was limited to just four games with no postseason opportunity due to the pandemic. “We have had to deal with adversity but we stuck together as a family.”

A three-pointer by Stewart gave Baldwin an eight-point lead late in the third quarter before Hills East answered with nine straight points and suddenly the Bruins tailed 53-52. Baldwin then responded with 10 straight points during a crucial part of the fourth quarter to lead 62-53 lead capped by a putback from Cadeem Ramsay on a missed free throw with 4:25 left.

After Hills East clawed to within six at 70-64 with 1:07 left, Stewart converted two clutch free throws to keep Baldwin in control. The Bruins converted seven of eight from the charity stripe to ice the game.

Ramsay and Joshua Petion both registered 13 points for Baldwin, which trailed 34-33 at halftime. Gerrad Beaubrun added 10 and Jacob Oka had eight as part of its balanced scoring effort.

Longtime Baldwin head coach Darius Burton credited his defense with propelling the Bruins to key fourth-quarter runs that pushed the lead to 70-59. The spurt was capped by a steal and coast-to-coast layup from Ramsey with just under two minus left.

“We were aggressive and played with a chip on our shoulder,” said Burton, a former standout basketball player at Baldwin who coached Saturday’s game at his alma mater Hofstra, where he played under current Villanova head coach Jay Wright from 1994 to 1997. “We made big stops when we needed to.” 

Given the challenges of the last two years, Burton decided to keep 12 seniors on his 16-player roster this year, a record during his 22-year coaching run at Baldwin. The veteran group will now look to cap their high school careers filled with ups and downs as state champions, a feat Baldwin has never accomplished.

The Bruins begin their quest to make history with a regional semifinal game Friday at Cool Insuring Arena in Glens Falls Friday. In addition to seeking its first state crown, Baldwin is also looking to advance past the semifinal stage for the first time.

“We have been there a few times, 2008, 2012 and 2016, but have never won a game up there and we can do it, but we have to believe,” Burton said. “We have won the conference many times, we have won the county many times, we have Long Island many times, but we have never won states. That is the next thing I want.”