by TYLER HATHAWAY
ROCHESTER, NY– Fairport has gotten off to as good of a start as a team can through five games.
The Red Raiders (5-0), who are coming off of a 18-4 season, won their first four games this season by an average of 25.8 points. Their winning streak continued Saturday night after a 87-77 win over previously unbeaten East (3-1). It was the fifth straight double-digit win for Fairport, and the third time this year the team has scored over 85 points in a game.
“It’s definitely a big win,” said Fairport assistant coach Jordan Holmes. “East was undefeated. They play a style of ball that we also play, we just came out and knew what we had to do.”
“It feels great, but we’re going to have a ton of (big) games like this so it’s something we got to get used to,” said point guard Gannon Culver. “We work hard in practice every day and try to get used to these situations.”
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Forward Alex Grejda led the way for the Red Raiders, pouring in a game-high 36 points. The senior connected a dozen times from the field and was a perfect 12-for-12 at the free throw line. His 24 first-half points helped Fairport build a 49-35 halftime lead.
“That guy is a gamer,” Holmes said of Grejda. “He’s a gamer. He does anything we need him to. He can go score 36, he’s had 15 rebounds in a game this year, he can pass, he can dribble. He’s actually our back-up point guard when Gannon (Culver) is out. He does everything, it’s huge to have a guy like that.”
“Really I give the credit to my teammates,” said Grejda of his big night. “We’re an unselfish team and we always find the open man. Tonight it was me. And at that point it was just cashing in my shots, which I did pretty well on.”
The Red Raiders opened the game on a 17-6 run in the first five minutes thanks to forcing a few turnovers and hitting four three-pointers.
“We came in here to handle business,” said Holmes. “We knew they (East) were going to play fast and press, and we weren’t going to be scared of it. We were going to play fast and press too. East is a very good team, and the shots fell in our favor tonight.”
All told, the Fairport defense forced 13 turnovers on the night and was able to turn them into points on the other end consistently to help build its lead.
“It’s really, really big,” Culver said of how important it is for them to play complimentary basketball. “We think that’s the recipe to winning games, in every practice we have, coach really harps in deep on that and we really take it to heart. Clearly it shows up when we win games by double digits.”
“We talk about (winning) the turnover battle constantly during practice and during games,” said Holmes. “You win the turnover battle, you’ll get more shots, and you’ll have a better chance of winning.”
With just under a minute and a half left in the first half, the Eagles were able to erase the early defacit and make it a six-point game. Three buckets from Grejda and a pickpocket and layup from Culver restored a double-digit cushion for the Red Raiders that lasted for all but 30 seconds of the second half. Fairport never trailed.
Fairport is coming off of a season in which the Red Raiders reached the Section V Class AAA title game, and has a roster that houses 13 seniors.
“We have a really close group of guys,” said Grejda. “We really love playing with each other, and going to practice every day. Being a tight-knit group really allows us to compete at a high-level. It’s a lot of fun while we do it too.”
“These guys are so connected,” Holmes explained. “Our team’s culture is unbelievable and that’s why we’re able to do what we can do on the court. They can joke around all the time and have fun, and when they need to kick it into high gear, that’s what they do.”
Culver believes staying firm on their trust and comfort with one another will help them carry success into the rest of the season.
“We just have to follow the protocol and trust each other. I feel like that’s a big thing with this team, we’re unselfish, we share the ball with each other. That’s what’s going to win us games and we know that as long as we stick to it, we have faith that we’re going to win because of it.”
Sam Roselli buried three three-pointers to close with nine points. Hadi Dergham finished with eight points. Jonathan Roessel and Antonio Nurse each tallied seven points.
East forward Zion Parson crossed the 1,000 career point mark during the game. The senior ended his night with 17 points.
Talhah Ali led the Eagles with 19 points. Jalen Gray connected four times from beyond the three-point line and finished with 16 points. Timothy Reed added 10 points. Other scorers for East were Jeremy Quinn (8), Norman Simmons III (4), and Xavier McDonald (3).
“It feels great, it will really help us keep morale up throughout the season,” Grejda said of the win. “We had guys step up, and we competed really well. It was a good win.”
Fairport is off until January 7th, when it will travel to Bishop Kearney/Chesterton.
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