THROGGS NECK, NY – For the second time in three years, the Maritime College men's basketball team will be playing in the semifinals of the Skyline Conference Tournament.  After leading by four at halftime, the fourth-seeded Privateers (16-10) pulled away in the second half for an 80-58 quarterfinal victory over fifth-seeded St. Joseph's LI (11-15) in front of a raucous crowd at Riesenberg Gymnasium on Tuesday night.

Maritime was hosting a quarterfinal playoff game for the third straight season, and the Privateers jumped on the Golden Eagles early.  After Justin Forest sank a trey on the first St. Joseph's LI possession, Maritime scored 14 of the next 15 points to open up a 14-4 advantage.  The Golden Eagles countered with a 21-5 run, though, to take a 25-19 lead with 6:56 remaining until halftime. 

St. Joseph's LI still held a five-point cushion, 29-24, when James O'Connell (East Williston, NY) drove for a layup to start a 9-0 rally that put the Privateers back in front, 33-29.  Jake Devaney (Washingtonville, NY) had 16 first-half points, as Maritime went into the break with a four-point edge, 35-31.

After Alec Tabada hit the first basket of the second half for the Golden Eagles, a Jake Murphy (Rockville Centre, NY) layup on the other end sparked a 12-4 spurt that extended the Privateers' advantage to 49-37.  St. Joseph's LI got back within seven points at 49-42 before Devaney sank a three to push the margin back to double-digits at the 13:00 mark. 

The Golden Eagles made it 52-44 on their next possession, but a three-pointer by Evan Block (Seaford, NY) followed, as Maritime used a 13-2 run to increase its cushion to 65-46.  Murphy's layup with 54 seconds left gave the Privateers their biggest lead of the night, 80-58.  That would prove to be the final margin in Maritime's first postseason win since 2023.

Devaney, who was named Skyline Rookie of the Year earlier in the day, finished with 28 points to go along with eight rebounds.  Murphy tallied 18 points, while O'Connell had 11 points and five assists off the bench.  Tyler Anderson (Smithtown, NY) had 10 points and eight assists, and Block secured a game-high 13 boards while adding three steals.  As a team, the Privateers shot 46.8 percent (29-of-62) from the field and outrebounded St. Joseph's LI 43-31.  Maritime was 9-for-24 (37.5 percent) from long range and 13-for-23 (56.5 percent) at the free throw line.

Forest led the Golden Eagles with 18 points.  He also posted five rebounds and three assists.  Tabada, meanwhile, recorded 16 points, five boards and four assists.  Spencer Malloy contributed eight points and a team-high six boards for St. Joseph's LI, which shot a combined 37.9 percent (22-of-58) from the floor.  The Golden Eagles went 7-for-22 (31.8 percent) from downtown and 7-for-9 (77.8 percent) at the charity stripe.

On Thursday, the Privateers will visit two-time defending Skyline champion Farmingdale (17-9), the No. 1 seed, at 7 p.m. in the semifinals.  Maritime split the season series with the Rams in 2024-25, with the home team winning each game by 14 points.