Pickin' Splinters

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Fairport’s defense sparks big second half in victory over Webster Thomas

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By PAUL GOTHAM

FAIRPORT, N.Y. — Scott Fitch had different plans for his Fairport boys’ basketball team as he looked ahead to the 2024-25 season.

The 24th-year head coach figured his squad would run half-court sets and look to establish the low post. From there, guards would fan out on the perimeter and create either inside-out passes or space for cuts off the ball.

All that changed when 6-foot-6 Marques Garrett, a tight end and defensive end on the school’s football team, suffered an injury last fall that would sideline him for the duration of the basketball season.

That setback coupled with Noah Meabon, a 6-foot-3 forward, getting an opportunity to try out with USA Volleyball, left Fitch with a much smaller lineup than he planned on having.

“We had to figure out how to be effective with a smaller lineup,” Fitch said. “That’s what you’re seeing.”

Early returns suggest the Red Raiders have made a smooth adjustment to the different style of play.

Jon Roessel led three in double figures, and host Fairport defeated Webster Thomas, 66-46 on Wednesday night.

With the win, the Red Raiders (listed among the Class AAA Honorable Mentions in the most recent NYSSWA rankings) improved to 8-0 on the season.

“Every year, you go in and try to assess your team and figure out ways you can compete,” Fitch said. “We had a small team, and we had to figure it out.”

The solution is a defense which never rests and subsequently wears down the opponent.

Leading by five early in the third quarter, Fairport outscored Thomas 21-12 to take a 14-point lead into the final eight minutes of play.

“You got to have kids that are willing to do it and kids that care about each other and want to do it for each other,” Fitch said. “You got to have kids with good instincts who know where the next pass is going. They’re thinking a play ahead which is tremendous.”

Roessel hit a pull-jumper and followed with a triple from the corner off an inbound play for a 40-31 lead. Alex Grejda scored and Roessel got ahead of the defense for a layup. LaShard Lowry Jr. converted a layup and free throw for a traditional 3-point play and a 47-36 lead 1:19 remaining in the third quarter.

Fairport did not allow Thomas within single digits for the remainder of the game. Roessel made sure of it with his third and final three of the night on the next trip down the floor.

“We’re playing with much more instinct this year on both ends,” Fitch said. “We’re not as organized or running as many plays which is good and bad at times. When you have a team that’s unselfish it can work and be really hard to stop because people don’t know where we’re coming from. It plays to our advantage with this group.”

Thomas stayed within striking distance for the first two quarters.

AJ LaLoggia gave the Titans a lead on the first possession of the game when he connected for three from the right corner. Looking back, it’s somewhat surprising the senior guard had as much room as he did to get a clean look at the basket.

Six trips later, LaLoggia hit a near carbon copy triple for a 6-5 Thomas edge. It was the last lead of the night for the Titans.

“They play so hard on every possession,” Thomas head coach Chris Barrett said of the Red Raiders. “Defensively they’re in your grill at all times. Offensively, they sprint to transition on every possession.”

Early in the second quarter, Fairport took its first double-digit lead of the game when Lowry scored on back-to-back possessions.

Thomas fought back.

Joey Baller connected from distance and Sean Quinn followed with a trey of his own to make it a four-point game at 23-19. Thomas was as close as two at 27-25, but the Titans, though, did not make it a one-possession game for the remainder of the contest.

“When we played our absolute hardest and when we matched their energy and intensity, it was a competitive game,” Barrett said. “We did that for about 22 of 32 minutes. Giving them 10 minutes of playing harder than us, equates to a 20-point loss.”

Fairport’s intensity on Wednesday night was best measured in the number of turnovers the Red Raiders forced. Consider this, LaLoggia hit threes on the first and seventh possessions of the game. In between, Fairport forced four ballhandling miscues.

By the final count, the Red Raiders created 22 turnovers while limiting their own mistakes to seven (two in the first half).

Only once did Thomas produce points on three consecutive possessions and on only two other sequences did the Titans score on consecutive trips down the floor.

“If you try to get in a track meet with them, it’s exhausting,” Barrett said. “They’ll turn you over. You have to match their effort and energy for 32. It’s so hard to do.”

After a made basket, Fairport’s defense picked up full court. If a ball went out of bounds under their offensive basket, the Red Raiders turned the opportunity into an advantage and set up on defense making the Titans have to work for the entire 94 feet.

When Thomas got the ball over half court, traditional trap spots were in play with Fairport’s defense looking to double team any time the ball went to a corner or when a ballhandler picked up just over half court.

Uncanny, though, was the Red Raiders ability to avoid getting caught in over-committing. Yes, they showed full-court pressure throughout the game, but opponents can’t predict when a double-team is coming. And if the trap occurs, the open man is rarely if ever in the same spot.

Barrett pointed to the influence of Fitch, who is also a coach with USA Basketball.

“Everybody looks at him and talks about how he’s a wizard with his Xs and Os. It’s not that he isn’t, but nobody talks about the fact that they play like their hair is on fire for 32 minutes. If you don’t match that while also playing basketball, you can’t stay with them.”

Lowry finished with 15 points in the win – this despite foul trouble which saw the senior guard go the bench after committing his second foul with 4:11 remaining in the second quarter. Grejda added 11 points.

Baller led Thomas with 15 points.

WEBSTER THOMAS
Chas Fitch 2 1-2 6, Sean Marlin 1 0-0 2, Alex Mulcahy 1 0-0 2, Joey Baller 5 4-5 15, Levi Kulik 2 3-8 7, Danny Check 1 0-0 3, Sean Quinn 2 0-0 5, AJ LaLoggia 2 0-0 6 TOTALS 16 8-15 — 46

FAIRPORT
Gannon Culver 0 1-2 1, LaShard Lowry Jr. 5 4-5 15, Alex Grejda 5 1-1 11, Sam Roselli 2 0-0 4, Jon Roessel 6 2-2 17, Landon Brunken 4 1-1 9, Drew Sisson 2 0-1 5, Hadi Dergham 1 2-2 4 TOTALS 25 11-14 — 66

WEBSTER THOMAS 11 14 14 7 — 46
FAIRPORT 16 16 21 13 — 66

3-point goals WEBSTER THOMAS 6 (Fitch 1, Baller 1, Check 1, Quinn 1, LaLoggia 2); FAIRPORT 5 (Lowry 1, Roessel 3, Sisson 1).

Members of the 2024 NYS Class AAA champion Fairport baseball team received their rings during a halftime ceremony. (Photo: Paul Gotham)

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