Gabe Phillips, Baldwin defense top Plainview-Old Bethpage JFK
Gabriel Phillips takes a short range jump shot from the paint during a Nassau Conference AAA-II boys basketball game at Baldwin on Saturday. Credit: David Meisenholder
The shot didn’t go in, but Gabe Phillips was right there on cleanup duty, working the offensive glass. The sophomore grabbed the rebound and put the basketball back where Baldwin wanted it — in the net to beat the third-quarter buzzer.
The Bruins led Plainview-Old Bethpage JFK by just five on their home court. But they felt the lift from that bucket.
“I think we all got hyped,” Phillips said. “We thought we’ll have this game in the bag and make our lead bigger.”
And that’s what they did in the fourth en route to Saturday’s 58-41 Nassau AAA-II win.
Their relentless defense yielded just four points to the tiring Hawks. Senior forward Brian Simms-Biggs contributed six of Baldwin’s 16 points over those final eight minutes, and the relentless Phillips converted on two more of his offensive rebounds.
The 6-3 power forward/center, who spent his freshman year at Chaminade, stood out in the crowd for the Bruins with a season-high 20 points and a season-high 17 rebounds.
“He’s unbelievable,” coach Darius Burton said. “He’s a rebounding machine. He’s a double-double machine.”
Phillips said he wants at least 10 boards a game. “I don’t care how many points I score,” he said.
Baldwin (11-3, 4-1) headed into Class AAA this season after claiming three straight AA county championships. This edition was talented but mostly inexperienced.
“We’re progressing,” Burton said. “The kids work hard every single day . . . I think every day we’re getting better and better. We want to be playing our best basketball [at] the end of February, the beginning of March.”
Phillips gave Baldwin a 42-37 lead to carry into the fourth. That putback launched a 14-0 run. It was now a 17-point margin. Burton credited the defense.
“We’re a big believer that our best offense is our defense,” he said.
The Hawks didn’t score in the fourth until 2:46 remained. “I think we kind of ran out of gas a little bit,” coach Mike Harris said.
They led 16-10 after one quarter. Then Bruins junior guard Chase Timberlake scored 10 of his 18 in the second quarter. Baldwin owned a 33-27 halftime advantage. Senior guard Ryan Hosein, who scored 22, had all 11 of the Hawks’ points in that quarter. “He’s a great player,” Harris said.
But the Hawks (9-6, 2-3) totaled just 14 points after the intermission.
“We’re fine,” Harris said. “. . . We have another five games left. Everything is right in front of us that we want.”
