Jaylen Brown's late 3-pointer wins Nassau AA semifinal for Baldwin boys basketball
Joshua Petion of Baldwin looks to work the ball past Hempstead Dwayne Meadors during a Nassau Class AA boys basketball semifinal playoff game at SUNY Farmingdale on Saturday, February 25, 2023. Credit: Peter Frutkoff
Baldwin’s hopes for a third consecutive Nassau Class AA championship were in dire straits when the ball found Jaylen Brown late in the fourth quarter.
The senior sank a three-pointer from the left wing with 10 seconds remaining that lifted No. 1 Baldwin to a 57-54 win over No. 4 Hempstead in the Nassau Class AA semifinals at Farmingdale State College on Saturday evening. Baldwin (20-2) will face No. 3 Port Washington in the Class AA final on March 4 at 7:30 p.m. at Hofstra.
“I always believe in my shot no matter what, even if I miss a couple,” Brown said. “I even airballed one earlier, but I’m going to keep shooting, because that’s what I do and what my teammates rely on me to do.”
Jakkai Stith hit a layup for Hempstead (16-6) that gave them a 53-52 lead. On Baldwin’s trip down the court, they had a shot blocked, but it went out of bounds off Hempstead with five seconds on the shot clock. Baldwin called a timeout, setting up Brown’s big shot.
“There were two options on the play, for my big man down low or for me coming off the screen,” Brown said. “They trusted me, saw me come off the screen open and I hit the shot.”
Stith (11 points) was fouled and got a chance to tie the game for Hempstead, but he went 1-for-2 from the line. Eighth-grader Peyton Howell sank two free throws to give Baldwin a three-point lead and Hempstead’s last attempt was no good at the buzzer.
“A couple times we got up eight or nine points and I thought we could put them away, but Hempstead kept battling back,” coach Darius Burton said. “Credit to my kids, though, we got down one a couple times, but I told them ‘don’t give up, we’re going to find a way.’ ”
Brown showcased his late clock ability when he hit a three-pointer just before the second-quarter buzzer from the right wing. The play prior, he grabbed an offensive rebound and put home a layup as he scored seven of his 13 points in the second quarter.
Joshua Petion was the engine that brought Baldwin near the finish line in the fourth quarter. The senior scored seven of his 16 points in the final quarter and made key baskets down the stretch.
“This feels good, we’re trying to three-peat as Nassau county champions and become back-to-back Long Island champions,” Petion said. “Those are our goals, but our biggest goal is to make it back upstate and take that title home, too.”
Christopher Matias covers high school sports for Newsday after spending time in Athletic Facilities and Operation at St. John’s and in Sports Information at CUNY York college.
