M. Basketball Upends Yeshiva to Keep Skyline Playoff Hopes Alive
| Final | 1 | 2 | T | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Yeshiva (4-12, 6-17 SKY) | 29 | 28 | 57 |
|
St. Joseph's (L.I.) (6-10, 7-16 SKY) | 26 | 41 | 67 |
Patchogue, N.Y.—Both the Yeshiva Maccabees (4-12, 6-17 SKY) and the Golden Eagles (6-10, 7-16 SKY) went into Monday night's matchup with six Skyline Conference wins each but the Eagles—with the homecourt advantage and a little extra hustle in the second half—came out of it with seven, the final score being 67-57.
Despite their nine turnovers to SJC's two, Yeshiva's offensive game gave them a slight advantage for the majority of the first half. When the Maccabees managed to maintain possession, they made it count, shooting 66.7% from the foul line, 60% from the three-point line and 50% from the field. The Eagles, on the other hand, were slow to get in the shooting groove, logging only a 21.3% shooting average in the first half. The home team stayed in the game with their defensive game though, including six steals, and managed to keep their deficit to only three points at halftime, as the first half closed out with a score of 29-26.
With the realization that a victory was within their grasp, the Golden Eagles kicked it into gear in the second half, officially taking a 39-38 lead with Sean McCarthy's (Kings Park, NY / Kings Park) jumper and ten minutes left on the clock. The Eagles then went onto score seven unanswered points, effectively knocking the wind out of the visiting team while bolstering their own lead considerably. SJC's exceptional foul shooting in the last three minutes of the game only helped their case as the Maccabees resorted to fouling in order to obtain possession.
Darryl Charles (Middletown, NY / Poughkeepsie) scored a solid 21 points and grabbed nine rebounds as McCarthy put up an impressive 18 points, grabbing five rebounds and two steals. Andy Laurent (Amityville, NY / Amityville) sunk 13 points and logged four rebounds.
The Golden Eagles will host the Farmingdale State Rams on February 19 in what will be their penultimate Skyline Conference game of the regular season. SJC still has a shot to make the Skyline Tournament as the sixth seed, but will need to be perfect the rest of the way.
