Semifinal loss tough for Baldwin, but the Braves made a statewide statement
By Michael A. Lough
The Sports Report
centralgasports@gmail.com
In the immediate aftermath, Baldwin players no doubt were sad and maybe a little depressed.
When they go back and look at the tape and at the numbers, they may not know what to feel.
There will be some anger, at trailing 13-1 early, at missed free throws, at some characteristic and uncharacteristic decisions and shot choices that a team can’t afford in the postseason, of poorly executed inbounds situations in the fourth quarter, of missing seven free throws in the first half.
And there will be gratification at where Baldwin is – even if the current state is after a loss, it’s after one down to the end against one of the state’s upper-level programs – compared to where it was, how well it played a team that won region and state tournament games by an average of 24 points, and had only one other win over an in-state opponents by single digits, and lost to two out-of-state teams and a Class 5A quarterfinalist.
There will be anticipation, because Baldwin went from 10-16 in head coach Buck Harris’s first year to 18-9 last year, to 24-7 this year, more than a decade since the last 20-win season for the Braves.
Harris took the blame late for a strategic decision to go to a zone, leading to a St. Pius 3-pointer that helped convert a 47-46 Baldwin lead to a 51-47 St. Pius lead in short order, aided, though, by consecutive Baldwin turnovers. Even then, Baldwin came back to tie it at 57 with 3:10 left.
The Braves missed a free throw down 62-60 with 59 seconds left, and then let the Golden Lions run the clock down to 22.6 seconds. They made two free throws, the Braves were whistled for a charge and St. Pius added two more freebies with 9.1 seconds left.
St. Pius head coach Aaron Parr was amid a to-the-last-second game that his team was favored in, but he also realized he was watching a fairly epic battle.
“I was telling myself in the fourth quarter, to relax myself, I was saying, ‘This is a great high school basketball game, enjoy it,’” he said. “It really was a great game.”
And a great win.
“They have four or five guards on the court,” Parr said. . Everybody can handle the ball and shoot. They can pass. A well-coached team that plays about six different defenses and does ‘em all really well. They’re just a highly skilled team.”
Donte Justice will be a bigger focal point next year for Baldwin.
But it wasn’t one early on, with eight empty possessions to open the game, including two missed free throws and second-chance opportunities off offensive rebounds, plus four turnovers.
“Being down eight in the first quarter, sometimes that’s where you lose a game at,” Harris said of the 13-1 start and 16-8 deficit after one. “I think that’s where we lost game.”
Not many would agree, considering the Braves got within one in short order in the second quarter with an 8-1 run – during which they were 5 of 6 at the line – and then tied it midway through and took a 25-22 lead on 3’s 3-pointer at the 2:53 mark.
From that point on, there were six ties and nine lead changes.
“I still think we lost the game (early),” Harris said. “You can’t spot a team eight points. You can’t spot ‘em eight points and expect to win.”
For the most part, Baldwin turned in a winning performance that was maybe two plays and a few seconds from being a win.
“They played hard, they got after it,” he said. “It was a great, great game for us. We came out on the losing end, but we’ll get better from this.”
The roster lists seven seniors, four of major impact and/or playing time: Robertson, Walker, Ubah and Ray. Harris said the Braves return eight – including Donte Justice, Torez Hicks and Justin Webb - and an influx of freshmen.
“I got eight kids back from a nucleus that won 24 games,” he said. “I think we’re gonna be pretty good.”