The Baldwin boys basketball team faces North Allegheny to start their postseason push tonight with the first home playoff game in Baldwin’s history.
For years, WPIAL playoffs were played at neutral sites, but that changed several years ago. This is Baldwin’s first time to play at home in the playoffs since the change.
Senior Nate Richards said that with the game being at home, fans will have a huge impact on how the game plays out.
“We need people to show out in a big way tonight,” Richards said. “They will influence the game depending on how loud they get.”
Junior Caden Cherico agreed.
“It feels so much more important to produce when our fans are there for us,” Cherico said.
The team has some key points they are keeping in mind going into the big game.
“We need to watch out for their forwards and we need to box them out,” Cherico said.
Sophomore Max Marzina said that, to beat North Allegheny, the team will have to play well against two large, physical players.
“We need to rebound and play fast,” Marzina said. “They have a guy who’s 6’11’’, so we need to watch that.”
Junior Matthew Schenk knows that it will be a challenging game.
“North Allegheny is always going to be a tough team,” Schenk said. “We need to play physical throughout the entire game.”
Being one of the two seniors on the team, Richards says that winning tonight would be a great way to begin wrapping up his high school career.
“I see more than just this game for us as a team,” he said. “Winning this game would be just the beginning for us.”
In addition to never previously hosting a home playoff game, the boys basketball team has not won a playoff game in just over two decades.
“We’re making history with this home playoff game, but we want more. We want to go win a championship,” Marzina said. “And that brings pressure, but it’s a good kind of pressure.”
Marzina is glad that the team has secured a home-field advantage, since playing away brings challenges.
“The away crowds are tough, and at some gyms the one hoop is lower than the other,” Marzina said. “There are a lot of factors that can mess you up when you play on the road.”
The team is excited to seize this opportunity for the school, and they realize the importance of the moment.
“It feels amazing to be part of what we are doing,” Cherico said.
Schenk ageed.
“It feels great to be back in the playoffs for another year,” Schenk said. “This time we need to bring it home.”
