Baldez, Phil-Mont Christian pull away from Paul Robeson in PIAA A 1st round
WHITEMARSH >> The last time Phil-Mont Christian made the second round of the PIAA Class A playoffs two seasons ago, Noah Baldez was a sophomore logging some varsity minutes as key role player coming off the bench.
Friday night, Phil-Mont Christian advanced to the second round of the state playoff. Baldez, now a senior, led the Falcons to a 75-63 win over Paul Robeson High as he finished with a team-high 26 points.
“I like the pressure but I don’t like all the pressure,” Baldez said. “If (we) lose, I’m the point guard, and if (we) lose a lot of it’s on me.”
Baldez has an influence in every game he plays. He rebounds well for a guard, his court vision and basketball IQ are second to none. Baldez, however, is sometimes reluctant to show his scoring ability as he defers to his playmaking abilities on most nights. Not Friday night. With the season on the line, he took over.
“I talked to him yesterday and I told him ‘you be assertive,’” said Phil-Mont coach Glenn Dolton of Baldez. “You’re a guy that can get inside of their zone and cause some problems. He was much more aggressive tonight and on the attack.”
Early on, Phil-Mont got into a running match with Robeson. The Falcons are not a team that is afraid to run, but they are also not used to a team that can match them athletically. The first quarter resulted in the teams trading turnovers and fast break baskets.
“We were not trying to run with them we were trying to convert if they had turnovers,” Dolton said. “We just got into a turnover match early on and for large stretches of the game.”
Phil-Mont settled down in the second quarter as it settled the ball and started to run some more half court sets. Baldez of course was at the center of the solid second quarter as he scored seven points and getting to the free throw line five times.
“In the first half I was trying to start off strong but I started throwing a couple turnovers,” Baldez said. “Coach let me know I was throwing turnovers, so I was like I got to change my game. In the second half, I changed it around, I started making harder passes and focused more.”
The Falcons and Baldez saved their best for the fourth quarter. Leading by five entering the final frame, Phil-Mont hit Robeson with a 9-0 run to open the quarter which eventually turned into a 13-2 run. Baldez scored 10 points in the quarter and added three big assists that helped bust the game open for Phil-Mont.
