>> BALDWIN HIGH SCHOOL
Both the boy’s and girl’s basketball teams for Baldwin High School hosted another region game this past Tuesday against Howard High School.
Head coach Kizzy Walker’s Bravettes defeated the Lady Huskies 50-23 in the first game of the night while head coach Anthony Webb’s Braves outlasted the Huskies 62-57 in the contest after.
For the girl’s team, they were dominant from the tip-off.
The Bravettes’ defense caused multiple issues for the Huskies’ offense, and the variety of sets they played in kept it that way the whole game.
From full-court pressing to jumping Howard ball-handlers in the half court, Baldwin was able to force turnovers that led to easy buckets the other way.
Junior point guard and team captain Madison Ruff was everywhere on the court, ending the game with multiple steals and 12 points. Sophomore Kassidy Neal led the team with four steals on the night and led the Bravettes in scoring with 15 points.
As a team, Baldwin ended the contest with double-digit steals which showed on the scoreboard when the two teams shook hands at the final buzzer. The Bravettes allowed only 23 points, which was their third-lowest of the season so far.
With the win, Walker’s squad improves to 11-7 on the year and 6-1 in region play.
The boy’s game progressed a little differently.
Webb’s team came out firing on all cylinders and was pressing every chance it could get. There were a handful of times in the first quarter when the Huskies couldn’t even get the ball over the halfcourt line.
Offensively, most of Baldwin’s squad was getting involved.
When it wasn’t a layup in transition, guards including Tremarius Lawrence, Kenneth Kelsey and Jaylin Robinson were all hitting contest 3-pointers to extend the Braves’ lead even further as the first half progressed.
Baldwin led Howard at halftime by 15 points, but the Huskies didn’t want to go away easily.
The visiting region opponent outscored the Braves by 10 in the second half to make things interesting down the stretch. After regaining the momentum late in the game, Baldwin’s starters helped put the game away and defeated the Huskies by five for the team’s sixth win in the region.
Webb’s team is now 11-6 after the victory last Tuesday and has won three out of its last four; however, their schedule won’t get any easier as five of the Braves’ last six regular-season games will be played on the road.
Regardless, both the boy’s and girl’s programs at Baldwin have recently been playing at a high level and will look to continue that as the region tournament comes around.