The last time the Fairport Red Raiders were Section V champions prior to this season, they ended up one win away from carrying home a state championship trophy too.
It is now easier to see why guard/forward Alex Grejda believes this year’s Red Raiders have the same potential as the 2016-17 team after Fairport’s 66-51 win over Jamestown in a Class AAA state tournament quarterfinal on March 13.
“We’re really a close group, I’ve always had the belief,” Grejda said. “We’ve put in a lot of hard work.
“I feel that we deserve to be where we are right now.”
Fairport (22-1) has defeated every opponent on its schedule this season, including Monroe County league division rival Penfield, a No. 1 state-ranked team making its own postseason push in the Class AA state tournament. The list of defeated opponents of Fairport now includes Jamestown, the Section VI or Buffalo region champion.
“It’s been going really well,” Grejda said. “We kind of had our goal at the beginning of the season, to go as far as we can.
“We’re enjoying the moment taking it all in. We know that two more games are the most ideal way to end the season.”
Grejda clearly helped the Red Raiders reach the final four weekend in Binghamton as he scored 14 points and came up with at least two steals in the Jamestown backcourt.
Hadi Dergham finished with a team-high 16 points for Fairport. Jon Roessel had 15 points, all on made 3-point shots, as one of seven Red Raiders who scored and the 11 team members who played.
“This team is hungry, our practices are at a pretty high level,” Fairport coach Scott Fitch said. “I have confidence in everyone. (Playing rotations) usually shorten at this point of the season.
“That’s definitely unique (that our rotation is that deep). You don’t have that every year.”
Fairport faces either William Floyd of Section XI or Corning/Painted Post of Section IV in a state semifinal, 1:30 p.m. March 20.
Don Gonzalez led Jamestown with 15 points. Elijah Farmer and J’vion Barr each added 12 for the Red & Green.
Below, is how the state tournament quarterfinal between Section V champion Fairport and the Jamestown Red & Green unfolded:
Final
Fairport 66, Jamestown 51
4th quarter – 1:16 remaining
Fairport 63, Jamestown 51
Jamestown guard Jericho Thagard makes a 3-pointer.
4th quarter – 2:37 remaining
Fairport 63, Jamestown 46
Fairport Red Raiders are called for an offensive foul, charge by Gannon Culver, but it looks like the Section V champions are headed to the final four weekend at Binghamton.
4th quarter – 5:17 remaining
Fairport 59, Jamestown 43
Fairport’s Jonathan Roessel makes 3-pointers on back-to-back possessions.
End of 3rd quarter
Fairport 52, Jamestown 43
Red Raiders close the period scoring eight of the last 10 points.
3rd quarter – 1:28 remaining
Fairport 45, Jamestown 41
Jamestown is on a 10-3 spurt, including two all-alone layups by J’vion Barr and Dominic Gonzalez.
3rd quarter – 5:23 remaining
Fairport 42, Jamestown 29
Both teams are struggling to score. Fairport gets a basket, a layup by Gannon Culver
Halftime
Fairport 40, Jamestown 28
Red Raiders close the first half with a 10-4 spurt. The only answers by Jamestown were a layup by J’vion Barr, who either leaked out extremely early or stayed in the frontcourt, and a runner by Dominic Gonzalez that was close to being ruled an offensive foul.
2nd quarter – 2:13 remaining
Fairport 36, Jamestown 26
Alex Grejda misses a layup but steals the ball back in the Jamestown backcourt and makes a reverse layup.
2nd quarter – 3:00 remaining
Fairport 34, Jamestown 26
The Fairport Red Raiders begin to stretch their lead again. Alex Grejda drives to another layup.
2nd quarter – 3:38 remaining
Fairport 30, Jamestown 24
A 3-pointer by Elijah Farmer helps keep the Red & Green within range of Fairport.
2nd quarter – 4:13 remaining
Fairport 30, Jamestown 21
Alex Grejda hits a turnaround mid-range jumper to help the Red Raiders keep the team’s lead on a yo-yo six to 10 points.
Early 2nd quarter
Fairport 28, Jamestown 19
Sam Roselli turns a steal in the backcourt by Alex Grejda into a 3-pointer.
End of 1st quarter
Fairport 23, Jamestown 15
1st quarter – 3:52 remaining
Fairport 16, Jamestown 5
A layup at the end of a fastbreak by Hadi Dergham, a 3-pointer by Jonathan Roessel and another layup at the end of another break by Alex Grejda helped the Red Raiders grow the Section V champions’ lead.
1st quarter – 6:31 remaining
Fairport 4, Jamestown 0
Fairport Red Raiders are pushing the ball up the floor and scoring. Noah Meabon finishes the first of a series fastbreaks.
Where was the Fairport vs. Jamestown Far West Class AAA boys basketball state tournament regional game played?
Buffalo State University
Fairport Red Raiders boys basketball
Jamestown Red & Green boys basketball
Fairport boys basketball photos
This article originally appeared on Rochester Democrat and Chronicle: Fairport moves past Jamestown, into Class AAA state semifinals
Reporting by James Johnson, Rochester Democrat and Chronicle / Rochester Democrat and Chronicle
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
