Baldwin win streak at 12
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Baldwin senior Dominique Aberdeen soars to the basket during a 66-42 Conference AA-I victory at Carey on Feb. 4.
Frank Koester/Herald
Ashanti DePass is starting to heat up just in time.
Baldwin’s senior shooting guard who played a key role in its Nassau Class AA championship run two seasons ago and runner-up finish a year ago nailed four three-pointers as part of a 19-point effort in a 66-42 Conference AA-I victory at Carey on Feb. 4.
DePass, who is averaging 14.5 points per game, added five rebounds and five assists, and senior Dominique Aberdeen chipped in 12 points as the Bruins improved to 9-2 in conference play and 14-2 overall. It was their 12th consecutive victory. Carey’s Terrance Murchie led all scorers with 21.
“I love the way we came out today,” said Baldwin coach Darius Burton, who saw his team race to a 26-7 lead after one quarter. “We played just like we were playing before the midterm break. We were inconsistent in our first game back against Farmingdale, so it was good to rebound with a big effort.”
The Bruins were on fire from the opening tip-off and held a 21-4 lead with 5:09 gone when Carey coach Marty Kelly called timeout to try to slow them down. “They have good size and great shooters,” Kelly said. “We battled, but they can beat you in a lot of ways.”
DePass and Aberdeen shot the lights out in the first quarter. Each had eight points and two three-pointers, while senior point guard Donte Howell added a trey and sophomore Brandon Williams had five points. DePass, who shot 6-for-10 from the field, hit another three later in the first half and sank a fourth trey in the second half.
“This was Ashanti’s best shooting game of the season,” Burton said. “I think he sees the playoffs are just around the corner.
“We need him to score, but we’re not the kind of team opponents can shut down by keying on one guy,” he added. “We’re unselfish and different kids can get hot at any time. We can go nine or 10 deep.”
It was 31-11 early in the second quarter when Murchie put the Seahawks on his back and led an outburst that cut the margin to eight at halftime. Murchie scored 13 points during Carey’s 18-6 run, but the Bruins stepped on the gas again in the third behind junior Eyituoyuo Ofuyo’s six points and eventually cruised.
It would be an upset if Baldwin and Uniondale didn’t meet for the county title on March 6, but Burton knows it’ll take some work to get there.
“We’ve done a good job of taking each game as it comes,” Burton said. “Everyone has us and Uniondale in the finals, but I can’t help what people think. I just need to get us prepared to play the next team on the schedule.”
The Bruins earned a first-round playoff bye and will host a quarterfinal game on Feb. 18.
“Our team is like a family,” DePass said. “If we bring the defense every game, we can win this thing.”
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