The Baldwin boys basketball team lost 69-56 in a non-section game against Peters Township on Monday.
Senior Nathan Richards noted the strengths of the opposing team.
“Their full-court defense was good, as well as their ability to push back on our offense,” Richards said. “We need to step up on our defense. We gave them too many easy layups.”
Sophomore Max Marzina sees turnovers as a key weakness.
“We had a lot of turnovers. We need to watch that,” Marzina said. “Especially because we have a scrimmage on Wednesday, and the playoff game is coming up.”
Richards praised Marzina and junior Matthew Schenk for their performance on the court.
“We got the ball to (Schenk) a lot and he played really well. Max Marzina did a good job setting up shots for himself and for the rest of the team,” Richards said.
Marzina, for his part, sees the team’s strengths.
“We really have handled and shot the ball well,” Marzina said. “Last year we lost a lot of close games, but we’ve excelled in those situations this season.”
The game was non-section, so it only counts to the team’s overall record. The boys’ record is 16-6 overall, and 7-3 in the section.
Next up is the team’s first playoff game, against North Allegheny on Feb. 23 at home. Baldwin is the fourth-seeded team in 6A conference, whereas North Allegheny is the fifth seed.
“We haven’t played (North Allegheny) this season. They’re a tall team, so we’re working on our mid-range game,” Richards said. “We feel good and I think our team matches up well with them.”
Marzina agreed.
“They have one kid who is 6’11’’, so we need to be ready to shoot around him,” Marzina said.
