Coach Buck Harris helps preview Baldwin's pair of weekend home games against Butler and WACO

Brenden Robertson: 18 ppg, 7 rpg, 53% FG through 4 games.

Baldwin of class AAAA's region 3 (which includes Richmond, Thomson, and other local teams) won two games last week to improve to 2-2 after opening the season with a pair of losses to AC Flora and Johnson at the tip-off tourney at Evans. The losses, suffered without the services of 3 year starters Torez Hicks and Donte Justice, may have been a blessing in disguise because coach Buck Harris was able to challenge players like Brenden Robertson (18 ppg, 53% FG), Charles Ubah (9 ppg, 44% 3 pt FG), and Ty’Rec Ray (17 points vs Johnson) to lead the way against two teams that will likely go deep into this season’s state playoffs in their respective classes.

“I told those guys that they could find their own identity without Torez and Donte. That they needed to because we're only going to be as strong as the guys coming off the bench are playing. And I think they answered that test,” said Harris last Sunday after Baldwin’s first weekend of play.

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With Justice and Hicks back in the lineup, Baldwin, the region champion last season, should be close to mid season form this Friday and Saturday when Harris hosts a pair of formidable, and familiar, foes: Butler (class AA’s #6 ranked preseason team by the AJC) and Washington County. As the coach of Laney’s region championship teams in 2014 and 2015, Harris did battle with both of those teams in region play in the past.

Justice scored 29 points and made 40% of his three pointers in Baldwin’s pair of wins over Jones County and Hancock Central last week, both on the road. Hicks dished 9 assists in that span. A complete Braves roster playing at home for the first time this season this weekend should be cause for lots of excitement in Milledgeville.