Girls: Say Yes to Success Showcase
BRONX, NY - There are some games that mean a little more to teams, games that could in a sense legitimize a school and program, and that is the kind of game Baldwin felt that had on Saturday at the Say Yes to Success Showcase.
Going up against a perennial power in Gill St. Bernard's out of New Jersey, the Lady Bruins knew they were going to get tested, and while they were looking to prove a point, it was also a game that would give head coach Tom Catapano an idea to see just where his group of girls were at compared to some of the longtime power programs from around the area.
If Catapano was hoping for the best, he got that and more as his Baldwin team dominated from start to finish to take down the Lady Knights 54-40 in what was one of three games on the day that NYCHoops.net took in as we recap the day's events from Harry Truman H.S.
Baldwin Takes Down Gill St. Bernard (NJ), 54-40
It was time to make a statement in Catapano's eyes. Baldwin has beaten some quality teams this season such as The Mary Louis Academy out of Queens, but beating Gill St. Bernard's was something much bigger in the coaches eyes, this was a game that could tell those watching that they are for real, and Catapano made sure to get that across to his team before the game.
"We are a public school on Long Island playing this Prep Schools that recruit, and I told my team that if you want to put your program on the map, tonight is the night to do it," Catapano said prior to Saturday evening's matchup with the Lady Knights.
If Baldwin wanted to put their program on the map, the thing that star sophomore guard Aziah Hudson '18 knew she had to do was set a tone early.
She understood that Gill St. Bernard's was loaded with Division 1 bound upperclassmen, and that the key was to get out early, and make it known that they were here to play, and it was something Hudson said she personally wanted to do.
It's what she wanted to do, and it's ultimately what she did as right out of box Hudson was able to get out in transition and score easy baskets that were started from steals off the pressure defense that the Lady Bruins implemented early on in the game.
It wasn't just Hudson though, as the best player on the floor from start to finish according to her coach was Lames El Gammal '16 as the Brown bound forward was able to stay out of foul trouble and control the paint on both ends of the floor, scoring and rebounding against the interior of the Lady Knights as Baldwin took a 14-4 lead late in the opening quarter, saying to those in attendance that they were here.
A big part of the struggles offensively for Gill St. Bernard's was due in part to the defensive job that the Lady Bruins doing. Jenna Annecchiarico '18 was put on Lady Knights guard Sam Kramer '16, and the young sophomore did a fantastic job in not just limiting Kramer's points, but her touches overall.
Combine that with the pressure defense that Baldwin was playing, and it was a big combination for success in Catapano's eyes.
"I thought our press gave them a lot of problems in the first half and we came out and blitzed them early," Catapano said.
That's exactly what Baldwin did, and when Kayla Brown '17 hit a three from the right wing in the closing seconds of the half, it gave the Lady Bruins a 30-17 lead at the half.
It was a nearly flawless first 16 minutes for Baldwin against one of New Jersey's top teams, and even though they looked in firm control, Hudson said that Catapano didn't care what the score was, putting emphasis at the half on finishing the job.
"He didn't care about the lead," Hudson said. "He said we have to keep bringing the energy, keep fighting, and to not let up."
The message was clear and again right out of the gate in the 2nd half, Baldwin once again took it to there opponents from NJ. Hudson knocked down a three ball from the left side, and then back to back putbacks by El Gammal who was dominating the paint in a major way saw Baldwin take a 20 points lead for the first time in the game at 39-19 with just under 5 minutes to play in the 3rd.
Hudson and Kaia Harrison '19 each seemed to be cool and confident shooting the ball from the outside, and even though Kramer hit her first three to close the quarter, Baldwin was still up 44-26 heading into the final stanza.
The game was pretty much wrapped up at this point, but you have to credit Gill St. Bernard's, and specifically Lauren McBride '16 and Alexia Allesch '17 who didn't quit and fought til the end, running the floor and scoring around the rim, but even though they were solid, no one could match what El Gammal was doing inside in this one as she put on a clinic around the basket, and along with Hudson's quick and speed to do whatever she wanted in the open court, it proved to be too much for the Lady Knights as Baldwin cruised late to a 54-40 victory.
While Hudson may have been the high scorer in this once scoring a game high 23 points for Baldwin, it truly was all about El Gammal as the future Ivy League star had 15 points while also pulling down 20 rebounds in what was a masterful performance. It was so good that Catapano could not stop talking her praises after the win.
"It was all about Lames tonight. She was the best player on the floor and it wasn't that close," Catapano strongly stated. "She played like a senior tonight and was a real force all over the floor."
El Gammal after the win was humble in her performance. She understood that 20 rebounds was special, but also gave credit to all of her teammates for helping her be put in the position to have such a strong game.
McBride led Gill St. Bernard's in the defeat with 12 points, while Allesch had 10 points and 10 rebounds, with all 10 points coming in the 2nd half for the Lady Knights.
This was all about Baldwin and them proving that they can compete with anyone in the Tri-State area, and they hope that they now get the respect they deserve.
They got their statement win, and even though Hudson says she has felt that her and her team were flying a bit under the radar, she is going to wait to see what happens now with another big victory under their belt.
"People are underestimating us but all we do is go out and try and win as many games as we can. Maybe we won't be as underestimated now. I don't know. I guess we will have to wait and see."
Boys and Girls Handles Sachem East, 65- 53
While the Lady Kangaroos have been struggling a bit this season, the pieces are there for them to make a deep playoff run if everything comes together, and on Saturday we may have just seen everything click as they played the way that head coach LaRon Mapp wanted them to play, and it led to an impressive 12 points victory over a talented Arrows team from Suffolk County.
Early on Boys and Girls were getting strong play from everyone. Kalima Daniels '16 was able to knock down a long range three, and then Kathryn Kanhoye '16 was able to follow and do the same. It was an impressive shooting display early on, but that's not what was getting the Lady Kangaroos off to such a good start.
It was all about the defense. Boys and Girls were flying all over the place, pressuring in the backcourt and getting into passing lanes, creating steals and turnovers which led to easy buckets for Lauren Segars '16 and Kania Pollack '18 in transition.
The Lady Kangaroos led by 10 at the half and it could've been a lot more if not for the play of star sophomore forward Danielle Cosgrove '18.
Cosgrove, who has already been offered by many high major Division 1 schools, was carrying Sachem East on her back in the opening half. She was posting up and scoring with an array of moves around the basket, but when double teams, and even triple teams started to come her way, she stepped out and showed she could knock down the long ball with a hand in her face, an impressive quality for someone like Cosgrove who is 6'4".
There were a couple of times that it looked as if the Arrows would cut into the deficit and get it to a two, or possibly even one possession game, but every time that happened, someone for Boys and Girls came up and hit a big shot.
Segars was the one in the 3rd quarter who knocked down a big corner jumper when Sachem East had made it a 47-41 game, and then in the 4th when it was again a 6 point game, improving forward Fatou Konare '17 was able to put back her own miss to stem the tide.
While Sachem East could never truly get within striking distance, you cannot blame Cosgrove who was scoring from all over, blocking shots inside on Lady Kangaroos who tried to come at her, and she was a rebounding force as well. She just didn't get enough help to get the Arrows close enough to put pressure on Boys and Girls.
Pollack was able to finish on a 2 on 1 break with just over 2 minutes to play to give the Lady Kangaroos a 58-44 lead, and that really was the nail in the coffin on this one.
A balanced team effort led Boys and Girls to their biggest win of the season as they were able to knock off Sachem East 65-53 in what was a very impressive victory for the PSAL Brooklyn "AA" school.
While it was a balanced attack, Segars led Boys and Girls with 15 points, but she was helped out by Kanhoye who added 12 points, and Daniels who chipped in with 11 points in the winning cause.
It was all Cosgrove for Sachem East as the sophomore had a triple-double, finishing with 30 points, 16 rebounds, and 10 blocks in what was a masterful individual performance, but a performance that unfortunately for her came in a loss.
This type of win in the mind of Mapp could be a season changing win. He has been preaching to his girls all season long about buying into the system that he is trying to set up for the Lady Kangaroos, and this could be a turning point in his mind for them to finally be ready to come together.
"I couldn't be happier for my girls," Mapp said after the win. "As a coach they did everything I asked. I said to them if you are going to lose, lose my way and it won't happen often if they do it."
On Saturday they came together and listened to what their coach wanted and got the win in what Mapp hopes is now the start of something special for his group of Lady Kangaroos.
Harry Truman Bops Woodlands, 66-53
It has not been a pleasant past few days for Truman head coach John Burke. He was happy with his team's win last week over Grand Street Campus, and even ok with the fact that they lost by 14 to PSAL power South Shore, but a 20+ home loss on Thursday to Francis Lewis just about made him sick, and he was not about to be embarrassed on his home floor once again on Saturday against Woodlands.
"We were talking about being a great team in the PSAL and then on Thursday we totally embarrassed ourselves," Burke said. "We got punched in the face on Thursday so we never even spoke about today's game here, we just got to get back to what we do. We got to rebound, we got to defend, and we got to be unselfish, things we weren't on Thursday."
It was all about getting back to basics really, getting back to playing the Truman basketball that Burke demands of his girls, and they came out from the start on Saturday with a drive and a passion to want to prove to their coach that Thursday was a fluke, and that is exactly what they did.
The inside duo of Brianna Alberga '16 and Maria Minaya '17 were dominant in scoring around the rim and controlling the glass, but when the Lady Mustangs needed a play, they just put it in the hands of their star, guard Dyona Davis '18.
Davis was able to score on drives in the lane, and also pull up threes when the situation called for that as well. When Woodlands did tie up the game early in the 3rd quarter, it was Davis who stepped up and drove by two defenders for a bucket that started an 8-0 run, and Truman took over from their.
It was a great effort to get back on track as Davis had 23 points, while Alberga had 15 points and 12 rebounds to help Truman run away with this one late for a 66-53 victory.
In the defeat it was Woodlands guard Teisha Hyman '19 who had 34 points, doing all she could to keep her team close, and the young freshman, who is already in her 3rd year of varsity basketball, also scored her 1,000th point in this one as well.
Thursday may not have gone the way Burke wanted, but this was a much better performance put forward by his group, and one that gives him back the hope and confidence that this could be a team to reckon with come March.
"I am happy. We obviously have a lot still to improve on but the heart and the effort, they were there today."