Baldwin girls basketball's Payton Dulin scores 24 points, sends Bruins to state semifinals
Baldwin celebrates its victory over Rye in the New York State Class AA Southeast Regional final in Yorktown Heights, N.Y. on Saturday. Credit: /Allyse Pulliam
YORKTOWN HEIGHTS — The Baldwin girls basketball team knew it needed to prove itself as a state championship contender in the final quarter on Saturday.
Clinging to a one-point lead heading to the fourth, Baldwin quickly seized control and pulled away for a 49-33 victory over Section I’s Rye in the state Class AA Southeast Region final at Yorktown High School.
“We knew this was going to be a fourth-quarter game,” said senior guard Payton Dulin, who scored 24 points. “We knew that we could persevere and that was only a minor obstacle. We leveled-up to the challenge.”
Baldwin (22-1) led 24-18 at halftime, but Rye (21-4) closed the gap in the third quarter. Phoebe Greto made a layup with 1:28 left to give Rye a 29-28 lead. Dulin made a pair of free throws seconds later to give the Bruins a 30-29 advantage.
Junior Alyssa Polonia hit a step-back three pointer 22 seconds into the fourth quarter to spark a Bruins' 19-4 run. Dulin was the general of a Baldwin defense that swarmed Rye and allowed just four points in the period. The Bruins scored 11 unanswered points in the final four minutes, making eight free throws during that span.
“You saw the girls have that championship gear in the fourth quarter," coach Tom Catapano said. “They knew this is what they worked so hard for and they didn’t panic. They know what this meant to them.”
Baldwin senior Monique Echols made two of her four three-pointers in the first quarter to key a 6-0 run in the final minute to give the Bruins a 17-8 lead.
“We’ve practiced for these moments,” Echols said. “These games are the ones we live for.”
Baldwin will compete in the state tournament for the third time in the last four years. It will face either Catholic Central or Nottingham in the Class AA semifinal on Saturday at 10 a.m. at Hudson Valley Community College in Troy.
“This experience is going to help us tremendously,” Dulin said. “We prepared hard for this and we’re not going to stop.”
The Bruins, who won back-to-back state titles in 2017 and 2018, finished as the runner-up in 2022. Now, they’re closing in on adding another state title.
“We need two more [wins],” Dulin said. “We’re not finished yet.”
