Payton Dulin dominates in second half as Baldwin girls win Long Island Class AA title

Baldwin coach Tom Catapano knows he has one of the best girls basketball players in the state in his locker room and he wasn’t afraid to challenge her at halftime.

Payton Dulin, a senior guard at Baldwin committed to play at George Washington, didn’t have a poor first half. But Catapano knew she could be better. Dulin was ready to truly hear and accept the challenge for more from her coach.

“Coach kind of got on me,” Dulin said. “I knew it needed to happen because I was kind of struggling with becoming the complete player I know I can be, being solid on both ends of the court. But I feel I adjusted in the second half.”

It didn't take Dulin long to showcase her ability to dominate. She scored 15 seconds into the second half and had eight of her game-high 20 points in the third quarter as Baldwin defeated Westhampton, 66-34, in the Long Island Class AA championship in a state regional matchup at Farmingdale State on Wednesday night.

Dulin also had nine rebounds, four assists and five steals.

“That pressure is a privilege, so I appreciate all of it,” Dulin said. “I’m blessed to have all that and have the position I have for my team and I just want to go all the way this year.”

Baldwin (21-1) plays Rye (21-3) at 11 a.m. on Saturday at Yorktown High School in the state Class AA Southeast Regional final. Westhampton finished at 22-2.

“The great ones want to be pushed,” Catapano said. “They want to be challenged and she’s the next great one that’s come out of Baldwin.”

Monique Echols had 15 points and Toni Smith added 10 points, five rebounds and four steals for Baldwin. Jasmine Taylor had 13 points and eight rebounds for Westhampton.

The Bruins went on an 11-2 run in the game’s first three minutes, but Westhampton cut Baldwin’s lead to 18-16 with 4:56 left in the second quarter. Baldwin countered with a 12-0 run for three minutes and then took a 30-21 lead into halftime.

Baldwin outscored Westhampton 36-13 in the second half.

“That second half, I think we really turned it on,” Catapano said. “We showed we have that extra gear. We played really fast in the first half and that’s our pace, that’s our style. And I think you saw how that helped us in the second half.”

Baldwin won its seventh Long Island title in 13 years of a L.I. final being played since 2011.

“I tell these girls all the time that you want to leave your legacy here,” Catapano said. “You want to etch yourself in the history books as one of the greatest, if not the greatest, teams to ever come out of Baldwin, so they are always pushing the envelope and we’re trying to do special things. We have a special group of kids and I’m blessed to be along for the journey.”

The Bruins are seeking their third state title in program history and first since 2018.

“We’re definitely excited but we’re not finished,” Echols said. “We definitely want to win a state title, so this is not the end.”