One team is seeking its first sectional title in 45 years. The other is looking for its first championship in six seasons. Monroe County Division I rivals Victor and Fairport will meet Saturday to decide the 2023 Section V Class AA Boys’ Basketball Championship. Here’s the breakdown:
No. 1 seed VICTOR BLUE DEVILS (20-2/Monroe County Division I) vs. No. 6 seed FAIRPORT RED RAIDERS (14-9/Monroe County Division I)
Scoring offense: Victor (65.5 PPG), Fairport (56.5 PPG)
Scoring defense: Victor (50.7), Fairport (51.3 PPG)
VIEW MORE PHOTOS FROM JENNIFER LAEMLEIN.
Current streak: Victor has won six straight. Fairport has won eight of nine.
How they got here: Victor defeated No. 8 McQuaid, 51-44, in the quarterfinals before downing No. 4 Webster Schroeder, 66-51, in the semis. Fairport beat No. 11 UPrep by a 48-33 score in the first round, took down No. 3 Brighton, 47-30, in the quarterfinals and defeated No. 10 Edison Tech, 78-43, in the semis.
Players to Watch
Victor: Garrett Clar Jr. F 17.4 PPG; Ryan Dodge Sr. F 4.2 PPG; Griffen Hopkins So. F 9.0 PPG; Nick Leonard Jr. F 8.7 PPG; Cam Ryan Jr. F 9.8 PPG
Fairport: Zac Ditzel Sr. F 15.5 PPG; LaShard Lowery So. G 9.7 PPG; Wallace Rahmaan Sr. G 10.2 PPG; Will Stanek Jr. F 3.6 PPG; Aidan White Jr. F 10.4 PPG
Coaches: Tyler Roberts (Victor), Scott Fitch (Fairport)
Last time they met: Victor took both head-to-head matchups during the regular season (61-50/66-55).
History 101: Victor is making its second sectional final appearance in the last three years. In 2021, the Blue Devils were the top seed as well and fell to No. 2 seed, Gates-Chili. The Blue Devils are seeking their first sectional title since 1978 they won the Class A championship. Fairport is looking for its first sectional title since 2017. The Red Raiders won class AA as the top seed and advanced all the way to the state championship before falling to Section I champion Mount Vernon.
What’s next: Winner will face the Section VI Class AA champion in the NYS Class AA Far West Regional.
A 9 p.m. tip off is scheduled at Blue Cross Arena.
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