By PAUL GOTHAM
ROCHESTER, N.Y. — They wear shooting shirts during pregame warmups with “We Over Me” blazoned across the front.
Friday night at the Blue Cross Arena, the University Preparatory Charter School for Young Men (UPrep) proved those words are more than a catchy slogan.
Tournament MVP Jermelle Cotton led four in double figures as fourth-seeded UPrep (14-9) claimed the 2024 Section V Class AAA Boys’ Basketball championship with a convincing 83-65 victory over No. 3 Franklin.
“We’re a talented bunch,” said fourth-year head coach Jerice Crouch. “On any given night, we can have any one of those guys lead us. We’ve had it occasionally throughout the year. Any time your leading scorer is averaging 16 points and you’re still winning ball games, that tells you something about the team, about the talent.”
Cotton’s third 3-pointer of the first half pulled UPrep within six points at 21-15. His next triple opened the second-quarter scoring, and the Griffins went on to turn a six-point deficit into a four-point lead at halftime.
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“They told me to keep shooting it,” he said. “That’s what my team trusts me to do. I’ve been doing this since first game of the season and after a while it just got flowing. Next thing you know started hitting three after three.”
The junior guard finished the night with a game-high 24 points on the strength of eight field goals including five from distance.
“He’s probably the best shooter in Section V, him and the kid at Penfield (Trevor Hofer),” Crouch said. “I’m going to take my guy all the way. That kid can shoot. I’ve seen him make tons and tons of shots in practice and in games. No shortage of seeing him out here on the big stage knocking down shots.”
Make no mistake, though, UPrep’s emphasis is on the defensive end of the floor. The Griffins held Franklin (15-7), averaging more than 77 points per game this season, to one field goal in the second quarter.
They came out of halftime and continued the pressure extending the lead to double digits less than four minutes into the third quarter. By the time the teams took the floor for the fourth, UPrep was well in command with a 65-45 lead.
“They got a number of guys who can touch the floor and give you intense defense,” said Franklin head coach Joe Jackson. “That was the difference tonight. They took over the game in the second half with their defense.”
UPrep limited RCAC Player of the Year Terence Thompson to five points in the second half. The 6-foot-7 senior center scored nine of his team-high 19 points at the free throw line.
“Terence was working hard down there on the block, but we weren’t able to get him the ball in good position for him to score. That really hurt him a lot.
“UPrep is a tough team. They play man all the way through. It wore us down. We didn’t play to our strengths, had people taking shots that don’t normally take shots.We got away from our game plan and that really hurt us in the second half.”
The championship was the second in five years and third in program history for the Griffins.
“I’m happy as ever right now,” Cotton said. “This is my first year playing varsity, and it’s been the ball. Wins, losses we’ve all been here with each other coming to practice and getting better. It worked in our favor obviously.”
Gavin White added 12 points. Knekose Mack had 11 and Alex Webb scored 10 in the win. Gregory Bodine and Quentin Nowden accounted for six apiece while Ja’yvion Sampson and Keone Manigault both contributed five.
The win was the fifth straight for the Griffins who opened the season with three losses in their first five games and had a .500 record after 14 outings.
“They bought in,” Crouch said. “It was rough, but our goal was to win a championship. They started to see the results coming in, and they believed.”
UPrep will face Niagara Falls in the AAA Far West Regional. The Wolverines took a 58-41 decision when the two teams met on February 10th.
All-Tournament Team: LaShard Lowry, Jr. (Fairport), Chris Leysath (Aquinas), Alex Webb (UPrep), Clarence Thompson (Franklin), Gavin White (UPrep), Terence Thompson (Franklin). MVP: Jermelle Cotton).
UPREP
Ja’yvion Sampson 2 1-1 5, Gregory Bodine 3 0-0 6, Damari Davis 1 0-0 2, Gavin White 5 2-2 12, Keone Manigualt 1 3-4 5, Percy Robinson 1 0-0 2, Justice Hardy 0 0-0 0, Quentin Nowden 3 0-2 6, Jermelle Cotton 8 3-4 24, Xavier McDonald 0 0-0 0, Knekose Mack 3 3-3 11, Ja’Mere Pringle 0 0-0 0, Alex Webb 5 0-0 10, James Willingham 0 0-0 0, Cai’ryn Jessie 0 0-0 0 TOTALS 32 12-16 — 83
FRANKLIN
Daniel Gay 1 1-4 3, Shawn Goins 4 3-4 12, Isaiah Caruthers 3 1-1 7, Kollin McCullough 5 0-0 12, Curtis Bell 0 0-0 0, Terence Thompson 5 9-13 19, Clarence Thompson 2 4-5 8, Hassan Isgouse 0 0-0 0, Lavante Brown 1 1-2 4, Khyrese Boose 0 0-0 0 TOTALS 21 19-29 — 65
UPREP 15 17 33 18 — 83
FRANKLIN 21 7 17 20 — 65
3-point goals: UPREP 7 (Cotton 5, Mack 2); FRANKLIN 4 (Goins 1, McCullough 2, Brown 1).
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