One program is looking to earn its second consecutive sectional title. The other squad is in search of its third championship in four years. Top-seeded Penfield, NYSSWA Class AA No. 1, takes on No. 3 Victor in the Class AA1 final Saturday, March 7 at Blue Cross Arena. Here’s the breakdown:
No. 1 PENFIELD PATRIOTS
(20-1 / Monroe County Division I)
vs
No. 3 VICTOR BLUE DEVILS
(15-7 / Monroe County Division I)
Saturday March 7, Blue Cross Arena, 9 a.m.
How they arrived here: After earning a first-round bye, Penfield defeated No. 8 Webster Schroeder in the quarterfinals 60-47 and grabbed a 66-55 victory over No. 4 Churchville-Chili to reach the championship. No. 3 Victor earned a bye as well and tipped off its postseason run with a 66-55 win against No. 6 Webster Thomas. In the semifinals, the Blue Devils earned a 70-61 victory over second seed Irondequoit to earn a spot in the Class AA1 final.
Scoring Offense: Penfield (72.4), Victor (73.5)
Scoring Defense: Penfield (50.9), Victor (66.7)
Trends: Penfield cruises into the championship game on 14-game win streak with 13 of those victories coming by 10 or more points. During that stretch, the Patriots have scored 70-plus points nine times while holding opponents to under 60 points 13 times. The only loss Penfield took this season came back on Jan. 9 against NYSSWA Class AAA No. 7 Fairport 79-62. Victor enters the final with four victories in the last five outings. In that stretch, the Blue Devils have scored 60-plus points in all of their victories.
Players to watch for Penfield: CJ Johnson Jr. (17.6 PPG); Jackson Green Jr. (17.0 PPG); Jake McCarthy Jr. (15.8 PPG); Aaron Hardaway Jr. (7.8 PPG); Ryan Savino Sr. (5.2 PPG); Ethan McEntire Jr. (2.7 PPG)
Victor: Ben Fell Jr. (11.9 PPG, 2.9 APG, 2.0 RPG); RJ Johnson Jr. (11.6 PPG, 3.5 RPG, 3.1 APG); Ravi Chitre So. (10.1 PPG, 3.8 RPG, 3.2 APG); Timmy McAuliffe Jr. (10.0 PPG, 4.7 RPG, 1.0 APG); JJ Mastin Jr. (9.9 PPG, 2.0 APG, 1.7 RPG); Gus Pappajohn Sr. (9.2 PPG, 2.4 RPG, 1.0 APG); Gage Hay Sr. (5.9 PPG, 2.9 RPG, 1.8 APG)
Coaches: Jason Ellis (Penfield), Tyler Roberts (Victor)
History 101: Penfield looks to go back-to-back as sectional champions after earning its first with a 71-44 victory last year against Webster Thomas. That Patriots fell to Greece Athena in the Class AA Far West Regional in triple overtime, 75-72. Victor is back in the sectional final after falling to Irondequoit in the quarterfinals last year 89-86. It was a one-year hiatus as the Blue Devils notched consecutive titles in 2023 and 2024 and aim to earn a seventh sectional championship in program history.
What’s at stake: A spot in the Class AA Far West Regional Qualifier against the champs of AA2, either Greece Athena or Pittsford Mendon.
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