Kings Point, NY – Sophomore forward Timothy Dougherty (Fresh Meadows, NY/St. Francis Prep) scored a team high 15 points, but as a team, the Privateers struggled early on and could never catch up to the Mariners of the Merchant Marine Academy who earn a victory in the two institutions final Skyline Conference meeting Monday evening at the James W. Liebertz Gymnasium in Kings Point, NY.

 

The Privateers got off to a slow start as the Mariners opened the game with a 15-0 run, and trailed 38-21 at the end of the half. They would play a stronger second half, nearly doubling their point total from the first thanks to 17-of-20 shooting from the free-throw line. However, their first half deficit would prove to be the deciding factor as they drop their fifth straight falling to 3-19 on the year and 2-10 in the Skyline.

 

Sophomore guard Joseph Bracaglia (Jamaica, N.Y./Martin Van Buren) (Jamaica, NY/Martin Van Buren) added 13 points and seven rebounds for Maritime, shooting 6-of-8 from the free throw line, all in the second half. Merchant Marine got a big contribution from freshman guard Ryan Samuel (Cedar Hill, TX/Cedar Hill) who finished with 16 points, six assists and five rebounds.

 

Senior guard Brian Kelly (Belle Harbor, NY/Archbishop Molloy) scored a game high 17 points for the Mariners, while his younger brother Kenneth Kelly (Belle Harbor, N.Y./Archbishop Molloy) (Belle Harbor, NY/Archbishop Molloy) netted 11 points and grabbed five rebounds for the Privateers. This was the final meeting between the Kelly brothers, who have provided an interesting twist over the past two years to what was an already long standing rivalry between the two Maritime based institutions.

 

The Privateers will return to action on Wednesday, February 7 when they take on the defending Skyline Champion Rams of Farmingdale State at 8:00 p.m. from the Walter A. Lynch Sports Center in Farmingdale, NY.

 

- MARITIME -