Samuel Pohlman scored 12 of his game-high 23 points in the fourth quarter, as Beacon pulled away from Louis Brandeis down the stretch to advance to the PSAL Manhattan borough semifinals with a 59-49 home win on Tuesday night. The Blue Demons held a slim 40-37 advantage heading into the final frame, but Pohlman's 3-pointer with 3:05 left, his second of the quarter, gave Beacon a double digit lead at 53-43, and his pull-up jumper at the 1:45 mark stretched the margin to 12 at 55-43.
Brandeis took a 30-28 lead on a baseline jumper by Isaiah Duran early in the third quarter, but the Bulldogs struggled to convert shots late, failing to match the spurt by Beacon.
Michael O'Brien and Fauzi Cizmesija-Ulmer scored 13 points each for Beacon. Jahdiel Wilson Pimentel led Brandeis with 15 points and Duran finished with 12.
Beacon, the 4 seed, will face top-seeded Thurgood Marshall Academy in the semifinals on Thursday night. The Panthers cruised to an 80-44 win over Harlem Village Academy on Tuesday night.
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