The Jamestown Red Raiders pose for a team photo following their Class AA Far West Regional victory last Saturday at the Buffalo State Sports Arena. P-J photo by Scott Kindberg

Glens Falls, the home of the New York State Public High School Athletic Association boys basketball Final Four, is a six-hour drive from Jamestown.

Red Raiders coach Ben Drake doesn’t mind a bit.

“It’s special to go to Glens Falls,” he said earlier this week. “Everything about it is pretty cool. It’s one of those things where you want to enjoy it and, at the same time, view it as a business trip. We want to go to compete, we want to go and win.”

Jamestown will be making its third appearance at Cool Insuring Arena in the last 12 seasons when it meets Green Tech of Section II in the Class AA semifinals at 7:45 tonight. In their previous two appearances, the Red Raiders lost in the championship game both times — in 2011 to Mount Vernon of Section I, which will play in the other semifinal at 6 p.m. today against Baldwin of Section VIII, and in 2014 to — you guessed it — Green Tech.

Earning a third berth in the title contest, scheduled for 8:45 p.m. Saturday, looks to be a challenge for Jamestown.

Green Tech, a charter school from Albany, is loaded … and huge.

Led by the senior trio of Dayshaun Walton, Victor Pharr and Zaveon Little, the 10th-ranked Eagles (20-2) held off Section III Liverpool 71-67 in overtime for the right to face No. 9 Jamestown (20-3).

The 6-foot-6 Walton, the 6-2 Pharr and the 6-5 Little combined to score 55 points in their regional win. The other starters are senior point guard Nazier Carter (5-10) and junior center Henry Perkins (6-8).

“It’s going to be challenging,” Drake said, “but I like the way that we’re playing. We have to play our style and, right now, we’re playing it pretty effectively.”

The Red Raiders’ starting five is comprised of 6-3 junior guard Trey Drake (14.3 ppg, 5.7 rpg, 3.0 apg, 2.0 spg), 6-1 senior guard Andre Maple (7.9 ppg, 3.1 apg, 2.1 spg), 5-11 senior guard Drayce Garland (3.0 apg, 2.0 spg), 6-2 senior forward Jaylen Butera (13.5 ppg, 4.8 rpg, 2.6 spg and 1.0 bpg) and 6-7 senior forward Jaral Farmer (11.6 ppg, 9.2 rpb, 1.7 bpg).

Sean Paige, a 6-1 guard/forward who averages 8.6 points per game, and 6-2 junior forward Darius Freeney (6-2) have provided valuable minutes off the bench.

“I think that one of the keys on Friday night is who is going to win the war on the boards,” Coach Drake said. “So much of it, I think, is about your positioning and your physicality. We have tough kids and strong kids. They’re not going to get pushed around. … Green Tech may be a little bit taller, but do they want it more? I think that’s what it comes down to is how bad do we want it and how willing are we to be physical with them.”

Trey Drake is coming off a huge game in the regional where he scored 21 of his 23 points in the second half, including five 3-pointers. Paige added 19 points, and Farmer scored 8 points, grabbed 15 rebounds and blocked three shots.

What gives Coach Drake a measure of confidence is the way his team has rebounded and played defense all season, particularly in the playoffs where it has yielded an average of just 45 points per game. On the year, opponents are shooting just under 37% from the field and 24% from the arc, and are averaging 20 turnovers. The Red Raiders are scoring an average of 63 points per game, while yielding only 50.

“(Green Tech)) is really good, but I think it will be a very good game,” Coach Drake said. “Then it comes down to your execution and your ability to play defense and rebound. They’re very good in transition, so we have to take care of the ball. We can’t turn it over.”

NOTES: In the other semifinal today, Baldwin (22-1) is ranked sixth in Class AA while Mount Vernon (22-0) is No. 7. … Tickets are only available for purchase online at https://seatgeek.com/venues/cool-insuring-arena-2/tickets. All tickets are general admission. … The games can be heard on radio at 1240 AM or online at www.wjtn.com. Tom Ames and Jim Brown will be on the call. … All games will be streamed online on the NFHS network (subscription required at www.nfhsnetwork.com).