Katelyn Simpson, top seed Baldwin capture Nassau Class 'AA' crown

Katelyn Simpson acted on pure instinct. There was no time for second-guessing. The Baldwin senior saw a loose ball in front of the basket and knew what had to happen next.

Baldwin had called timeout with a four-point lead and two seconds left on the shot clock. The Bruins designed a play for an open look but the shot hit off the rim. Simpson saw the rebound roll in front of the rim, scooped and scored to give Baldwin a six-point lead with 1:17 left in the fourth quarter en route to a 45-40 victory over No. 2 Massapequa in the girls basketball Nassau Class AA final at Hofstra’s Mack Sports Complex Saturday afternoon.

“When I saw the ball on the floor, I knew I had to get it and I saw the open layup and I just took it,” said Simpson, who scored 13 points. “At that point, you don’t really think, you just do. And at that moment, it’s what our team needed.”

That basket from the lone senior in the Bruins’ lineup helped Baldwin secure its ninth straight Nassau Class AA crown. No. 1 Baldwin (21-2) advances to play Whitman (21-3) in the Long Island Class AA championship/Southeast Regional Final at Farmingdale State Saturday at 4 p.m.

“I would describe Katelyn in one word as a winner,” coach Tom Catapano said. “She finds a way to figure things out and the job she did mentoring these young kids this year was phenomenal.”

This wasn’t an easy year for the Bruins. They played all season without Dallysshya Moreno, who was an All-Long Island selection last year as a junior. Moreno, committed to play at Stony Brook, averaged 17.3 points and 11 rebounds but has missed this season with a torn ACL.

The Bruins had two other players suffer significant knee injuries outside of the school season, including Renelle Grannum. Grannum, a junior, returned late in the season but isn’t playing at 100%. But Grannum hit one of the biggest shots of the season, finishing a layup off an assist from Chinaya Okogeri to give Baldwin a 40-36 lead with 2:30 left.

“Renelle is what Baldwin girls basketball represents,” Catapano said. “She’s blood and she’s guts. She bleeds blue and gold and for her to be able to get out there, obviously she’s a shell of herself, but she was still able to make huge plays down the stretch. I’m so happy she got to be a part of this run.”

Massapequa (18-4) scored seven of the game’s first eight points before Baldwin countered with a 12-0 run over three minutes to take a 13-7 lead with 1:25 left in the first quarter. The Bruins also closed the final 5:32 of the half on an 8-0 to take a 25-11 lead into halftime.

But Massapequa rallied from there, cutting Baldwin’s lead to 33-29 in the closing seconds of the third quarter before Monique Echols hit a corner three-pointer with three seconds left in the period for the Bruins. 

“It was very big,” said Echols, who scored 13 points. “We couldn’t allow them to come back into the game and we just had to keep going and take this win.”

But Massapequa countered again, cutting Baldwin’s lead to 38-36 following a basket from Isabella Grosso with 3:18 left before Grannum’s basket. 

“They showed that championship spirit,” Catapano said. “They wouldn’t go away and it took everything we had to win this game.”

            Briana Neary had 12 points and Alexa Cirabisi added eight points for Massapequa. Cirabisi scored all eight of her points in the third quarter and Neary had 10 points in the second half.

            “They’re a great program,” Catapano said. “It was a dogfight, it was a war. And we knew it was going to be a war.”

            The Bruins start three sophomores and an eighth grader next to Simpson, which is vastly different from the majority of their previous county championship teams.

            “For these kids to do what they did today is special,” Catapano said. “It’s a tribute to how hard they work and how important I think it is to them to continue our Baldwin legacy here.”

            Simpson is one of three seniors on the roster, along with Moreno and Quinnelle Garcia-Mobley. She took it upon herself to work with the younger players. 

            Baldwin reached the state final last year before losing to Bishop Kearney, 63-57. The Bruins want to return to the championship stage.

            “I’ve been there before and I want to give that to them,” Simpson said. “I want to set the bar high and push them and motivate them every day for what’s to come.”