Throggs Neck, NY – Senior guard Gerard Danzy (Monroeville, Ala./Hillcrest) (Monroeville, NY/Hillcrest) sparked the Privateers offense with 16 second half points, but the Privateers of Maritime College couldn’t seal the deal against their rival’s from across the river, falling to the Merchant Marine Academy by a score of 56-54 in a Skyline Conference men’s basketball game Tuesday evening in Kings Point, NY.

 

It was a low scoring affair, at the conclusion of the first half, Maritime trailed by a score of 25-20. In that first half, both teams combined for only 55 points shooting 16-of-56 from the field.

 

Danzy began to percolate in the early minutes of the second half, draining two three-pointers and adding a free throw to tie the game up at 29 a piece, with 15:38 on the clock. Later in the half, the Mariners built up an eight point lead, their largest of the game. However, Maritime once again fought back with a 6-0 run concluded by a Danzy jam to bring the spread to within one basket, with 3:55 on the clock.

 

Every time Kings Point would attempt to surmount a lead, Maritime fought back. Clinging to a four point lead with just 1:09 left in the game, freshman guard Kenneth Kelly (Belle Harbor, N.Y./Archbishop Molloy) (Belle Harbor, NY/Archbishop Molloy) hit a three to bring the Privateers to within one point, 53-52. Following a missed lay-up attempt by Kings Point, the Privateers controlled the ball with 35 seconds left, giving them the final shot of the game. Senior guard Marc Lashley (Queens, N.Y./Holy Cross) (Queens, NY/Holy Cross) had a chance at the basket with an eight foot jumper, but it just bounced off the rim after being altered by the Mariners center. Kings Point went the final 1:55 of the game without a field goal, with their only point coming on a free throw with 0.8 left in the game.

 

Kelly scored 11 points and quickly became the leader on the floor, guiding his team during an 11-5 run in the last minutes of the game. Kelly’s older brother, Brian Kelly, scored only two points in 22 minutes of action off the bench for the Mariners. When asked about the game and playing against his brother, Kenneth Kelly (Belle Harbor, N.Y./Archbishop Molloy) had this to say, “It was exciting being out there against him, but in the end his team gets the win, so it doesn’t matter how many more points I had than Brian.”

 

Senior center Robert Benton (Montgomery, Ala./G.W. Carver) (Montgomery, AL/GW Carver) sat out a majority of the game with a lingering back injury that has slowed him down in the Privateers last two games. Freshman forward John Foley (Valley Stream, N.Y./Holy Cross) (Valley Stream, NY/Holy Cross) stepped into the center role in Benton’s absence. Foley finished the game with four rebounds and his only points of the game came down the stretch after stealing the ball and going coast-to-coast for the easy lay-in.

 

The Mariners were led by senior center Zach Wyatt (Camp Hill, Pa/Trinity) who scored the double-double with 17 points and 12 rebounds. The only other Mariner in double-digits was senior guard Paul Tricarico (Lynbrook, NY/St. Mary’s) who finished with 12 points and seven boards. Danzy was the game’s leading scorer with 22 points.

 

Maritime will return on Saturday, January 21^st as they host the Blue Knights of Mount Saint Mary College in another key Skyline Conference game. The Blue Knights are currently second in the conference with a record of 4-1 and are 13-2 on the year. This will be a tough match-up for the Privateers, but they will no doubt be ready for the challenge.

 

 

- Maritime -

Team Stat Comparison
	Kings Point	Maritime
Points	56	54
FG Made-Attempted	18-49 (.367)	18-56 (.321)
3P Made-Attempted	5-21 (.238)	6-16 (.375)
FT Made-Attempted	13-20 (.650)	10-16 (.625)
Rebounds (Off-Def-Tot)	12-29-41	11-21-32
Assists	11	9
Turnovers	19	15
Steals	4	11
Blocks	5	3
Bench Points	18	4
Fouls (Tech)	16 (none)	16 (none)
Largest Lead	10	1