Freshman AJ Greig, in his first go-round in the Ramapo/Colonia rivaly, went for a game-high 24 points as the Raiders are heading back to the Group 3 finals with a 52-46 at Dunn Center in Elizabeth.

ELIZABETH – Much like life, the game of basketball is full of ‘What if?’ moments. No team knows that better than Ramapo.

What if this team could not live up to the ballyhooed senior class that graduated last year?
What if Charlie Wingfield’s putback at the buzzer against Morris Knolls rolled off the rim instead of dropping through?

What if the Green Raiders stopped believing in themselves and each other?

Fortunately for them, the culture under head coach Nick Vier has developed to a point at which regardless of the score, the opponent, or the circumstances of any particular game, the Green Raiders are going to keep playing hard and trust that they will collectively get the job done.

In the Group 3 semifinals, Ramapo faced a familiar foe. Colonia had lost three straight years to the Raiders in this same round. However, when Colonia’s Aiden Derkack threw down a massive dunk to end the first half there was one more what if still unanswered.

What if Ramapo’s magical state tournament success over the years was finally about to run out?

It was an answer that will have to wait for another day or even another year.

Freshman sensation AJ Greig hit back-to-back 3s to put the Raiders ahead in the third quarter. They never trailed again as Ramapo advanced to the Group 3 state final for the fourth straight year and went through the same opponent all four times to get there with the latest being a 52-46 triumph over Colonia on Tuesday at the Thomas Dunn Center in Elizabeth.

Aiden Dercack finished with a team-high 19 points for Colonia.

By all accounts heading into the game, Colonia was expected to be in Group 3 state semifinals. With a talented, deep roster under a fine head coach in Jose Rodriguez, the Patriots cruised in defending their Greater Middlesex Conference Tournament title before following it up with another North 2, Group 3 sectional crown.

By those same accounts, Ramapo was not supposed to be here. Wingfield’s putback at buzzer forced overtime in what was eventually a double-overtime win over Morris Knolls in the first round of the state tournament. The No. 7 seeded Raiders made effective use of their second life by knocking off the top three seeds, including No. 1 seed Northern Valley/Demarest on the road, for the program’s sixth straight North 1, Group 3 section title.

Facing off for a fourth straight year in the Group 3 semifinals, the two teams were extremely familiar to one another. Both came out of the gate like two heavyweight boxers trying to feel each other out and look for an edge. Neither found it early with the score tied, 8-8, after one quarter. In the second quarter, Peter Keith scored on a drive and Greig scored inside to put Ramapo up by four.

Colonia then had its best stretch of play, harassing whoever handled the ball and jumping into passing lanes. That was no more evident than when Ramapo held for the final shot of the first half. Colonia’s all-state 6-foot-5 standout Aiden Derkack made a steal near midcourt, gave an in-and-out dribble with his right hand, then put down a thunderous dunk at the buzzer to give the Patriots a 25-22 lead and all the momentum they could possibly want heading into the third quarter.

Peter Keith and the Ramapo senior class have known nothing but trips to the Group 3 state finals.

The Green Raiders were reeling but got the opening they needed just 2:38 into the third quarter. Derkack picked up a ticky-tack foul for his second personal and a minute later Ryan Goldman took a charge for Derkack’s third foul. That forced him to the bench for the final 5:22 of the quarter. Colonia did not score again in his absence.

“Derkack is a very good player and he did not make our job easy. We had to take advantage while he was out,” said Grieg. “Colonia is one of the best teams in the state and we had to lock in. We take pride in boxing out and getting defensive stops. When we play as a team, we get good results.”

Greig hit back-to-back corner threes to kickstart a 10-0 spurt to end the quarter with Ramapo holding a 34-27 lead.

Derkack, a junior who already has 10 Division 1 offers from the likes of Rutgers, Miami, TCU, Villanova, and Xavier, hit a jumper on the first possession of the third quarter and Colin Kroner’s two baskets in four seconds helped trim the lead to five. Ramapo never blinked and methodically beat the Patriots’ full-court pressure several times for layups to bump the lead up to double-digits.

However, four straight misses at the foul line and consecutive threes at the other end by Derkack and Jayce Rodriguez cut it to 49-45 with :31 remaining. The Patriots did not get any closer as a pair of free throws late from Greig iced it to send Ramapo back down the RAC on the campus of Rutgers University to play for third straight Group 3 state title.

Greig has shown a versatile game well beyond his years, netting a game-high 24 points for Ramapo. Finn Marrah, Peter Keith, and Goldman finished with nine, seven, and six points, respectively.

Derkack led the way for Colonia (27-6) with 19 points and five rebounds. Rodriguez, a freshman, scored all of his nine points from behind the three-point line.

Ramapo will take on Colts Neck, a 47-45 winner over Ocean City in the other Group 3 state semifinal. It will be the Raiders’ fourth straight trip to the RAC. Just 32 minutes away from the unlikeliest of championship repeats, one question remains.

What if they do it again?

“I think people have counted us out all season, we just block it out,’ said Goldman. “Colonia is a very strong team. We wanted to make it as uncomfortable for them as possible and we’ll look to do that again in the state final. Once we got out of the first round, we got the mindset that we’re going for it all.”

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