News > Boys Varsity > Athena ... States
03/09/06
Fairport shoots its way into states
Red Raiders bring Greece Athena's storybook season to an end
James Johnson
Staff writer
(March 9, 2006) — The Fairport Red Raiders seem to have all the answers.
On a night when Fairport's leading scorers played far from their best games, a reserve guard came on strong.
Kyle Downey swished six 3-pointers during a 20-point night for him at Blue Cross Arena on Wednesday, as Fairport defeated Greece Athena 66-58 to move into the Class AA state tournament.
Downey's 6-for-7 performance from 3-point range (7-10 overall) came in front of the largest block of the three-game evening's attendance of 4,851 people.
Kelly Condello scored 17 points, while Corey McAdam and 6-8 senior forward Cory Magee finished with 13 for Fairport.
The Red Raiders (21-1), who won their first Section V championship in 31 years this season, have never played in the state tournament under the current format in which the Section V and VI champions meet in the quarterfinal round.
They get another crack at the only team to beat them this season, defending state and Federation champion Niagara Falls at 6:30 p.m. Saturday at Buffalo State.
Athena's memorable season is over despite 22 points each from Levar Goff and Rickey Wallace.
Fairport fell behind by five points in the first quarter, but took its first lead, 12-10, after Condello made a pair of free throws late in the period.
It was the start of an 11-2 spurt that bridged the first two quarters. Downey made two of his 3-pointers during this Fairport push that established a nine-point lead for the Red Raiders.
Fairport's cushion was up to 15 points, 33-18, after Downey made his fourth 3-pointer of his 12-point half. A buzzer-beater 3-pointer by Wallace forced Fairport to settle for a 10-point lead at halftime, 33-23.
The Red Raiders could look at the statistics sheet at that point and smile. McAdam, one of Fairport's leading scorers, was 1-for-7 from the field with five points and the team owned a double-digit lead.
Downey still had a hot hand. Fairport's first basket of the second half was a 3-pointer by the sophomore guard to make the score 36-23. The Trojans' best charge came during the middle stages of the third quarter.
Athena (16-6) cut its deficit to six points twice, including 39-33, but the Red Raiders quickly pushed the gap back to 10 points and beyond.
Fairport was ahead by 14 points, 49-35, through three quarters and Magee opened the fourth with a two-handed, alley-oop dunk.
The Trojans were within nine with 4:40 remaining, but a pull-up jumper by Goff rattled out of the rim. Downey came down the floor and made his sixth 3-pointer to put the score at 58-46 with 4:14 to go.
Niagara Falls, led by Syracuse recruit Jonathan Flynn, edged Fairport by two points, 52-50, on Dec. 10. That game was a coming out party of sorts for senior guard McAdam, who scored 21 points to Flynn's 22.
Flynn made a pair of free throws with 15 seconds remaining that put the Wolverines ahead to stay. McAdam took about an eight-foot jump shot that rattled in and out as time expired.
JAMESJ@DemocratandChronicle.com
source: http://www.democratandchronicle.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060309/SPORTS/603090376/1007