Farmingdale boys basketball team's balanced attack too much for Baldwin
Jake Mangio of Farmingdale brings the ball downccourt during a Nassau Conference AAA-II boys basketball game against Baldwin in Farmingdale on Friday. Credit: Peter Frutkoff
The reaction from the Farmingdale bench as the buzzer sounded was both thunderous and joyous.
The Dalers led for most of Friday’s boys basketball game against visiting Baldwin — which has set the standard for winning in Nassau — but took the Bruins’ best shots until the end. Forward Caden Lennon’s layup with 32 seconds left gave Farmingdale a four-point lead and the final points of the Dalers’ 57-53 Nassau Conference AAA-II win.
Forward Erik Kubelka had 17 points, forward JJ Collins scored 11 and guard Jake Mangio had 10 to lead a balanced effort that featured nine three-pointers.
“We’re just trying to get over the hump and make these guys believe they can play anybody and beat anybody,” Farmingdale coach Jim Pastier said. “And the staple is Baldwin, a million county championships. If you can beat them, you can play.”
Farmingdale (12-2, 4-2) held the lead for 27:38 and tied Baldwin (11-4, 4-2) for second in the AAA-II standings.
Baldwin guard Chase Timberlake scored 18 points.
Mangio, a junior and third-year varsity player, showed poise at point guard all game long against a ferocious Baldwin press. Baldwin was within four points for the final 5:58 of the game.
“I’m always built for those moments where I get the ball and I know I’m not gonna lose it,” Mangio said.
Baldwin guard Shane Mauldin hit a three-pointer to cut Farmingdale’s lead to 55-53 with 1:19 remaining. Baldwin held strong on the ensuing defensive possession, but a deflection out of bounds was deemed inconclusive by the officials, resulting in a jump ball and a fresh Farmingdale possession with 41.5 seconds left.
Lennon’s layup gave the Dalers the 57-53 lead.
Baldwin recorded a decisive 56-33 win over the Dalers on Jan. 5. The Bruins also ended Farmingdale’s 2022-23 season with a 74-48 win in a Nassau Class AA quarterfinal en route to their second straight county title.
“Definitely means a lot, especially because they beat us last year in the playoffs, just beat us this year too,” Mangio said. “Feels great knowing that we can actually beat them.”
Farmingdale has won three straight after losing to Westbury on Jan. 17. The Dalers also beat first-place Port Washington on Jan. 8 and have proved to be a real factor in the conference race.
“We take one game at a time,” Pastier said. “You can’t put the cart in front of the horse or anything. But we had a couple of good wins, and they’ve proved that they can play with everybody.”
Ben Dickson joined Newsday’s high school sports staff in 2023 after graduating from Maryland, where he covered several of the Terrapins' teams.
