The Baldwin boys basketball team lost to South Fayette on Tuesday, 59-55. 

Sophomore Bryson Smolko thought South Fayette did well in capitalizing on the offensive side. 

“South Fayette rebounded and finished inside the paint well,” Smolko said. 

Senior Taye O’Toole, meanwhile, gave credit to South Fayette’s defense. 

“They did a good job of shutting Evan Golvash down throughout the game,” O’Toole said. 

Despite the loss, there were some strong moments from Baldwin. 

“We took great shots and moved the ball well in the first half,” Smolko said. 

O’Toole thought the team’s forwards did well. 

“Our bigs did a good job of shutting down their bigs in the paint,” O’Toole said. 

Seniors Nico Macurak and Max Marzina stood out for the Highlanders, Smolko said. 

“Nico rebounded well and finished well, and Max controlled most of our offense and created his own shots,” Smolko said. 

Three Highlanders were in double digits to help keep the game close. Marzina had 18 points, Sadik Anderson had 13 points, and Macurak scored 12 points. 

O’Toole thought Anderson did well on offense when the team needed it. 

“Sadiq hit three huge threes to keep us in the game,” O’Toole said. 

The team is tied for fourth place with Ringgold and will need to defeat that team on Friday to keep fourth place. Heading into that game, Smolko believes the team needs to improve its offense. 

“We need to focus on keeping working as a team and taking more open shots,” Smolko said. 

O’Toole agreed, adding that the team should improve “rebounding and defending as well.”

The team’s next game is at home against Ringgold at 7:30 p.m. Friday.