“He is a great teacher of the game and he has passion for Jamestown basketball,” Drake told The Post-Journal. “I don’t believe we could find a better person to be the next head coach. He’ll be great.”

Ten months later, Drake’s words have proven prophetic.

In his first season at the helm — keep in mind he had the daunting task of replacing Drake, who won 425 games and made three trips to the New York State Public High School Athletic Association final four in 25 seasons — Miley hasn’t missed a beat.

For when the Red & Green take the floor Saturday night for their 7:45 tipoff against Section V’s Victor in the Class AA Far West Regional at Buffalo State Sports Arena, they do so with a 20-4 record and a No. 23 ranking in the New York State Sportswriters Association poll.

Drew Hind and Randolph will take on Lyons in tonight’s 6:30 p.m. Class C Far West Regional at Buffalo State University. Photo courtesy of Mike Frame

Jamestown should possess a good deal of confidence, having posted Section VI Class AA1 playoff victories over Clarence (61-54), Orchard Park (58-52) and Lockport (69-44), and a Class AA 61-59 crossover win Tuesday over Section VI Class AA2 champion Health Sciences, which vaulted the Red & Green into their second Far West Regional in three seasons.

The Red & Green’s starting lineup includes junior Jaydian Johnson (19.7 points per game), sophomore Dominic Gonazlaz (13.2) and senior Greg Brumagin (7.7) at guard, with senior Bishop Butts (10.0) and sophomore Elijah Farmer (8.5) at forward. Leading the way in their win over Health Sciences was Butts, who scored 19 points, grabbed 12 rebounds and blocked five shots. Johnson added 18 points, five rebounds and four assists; and senior Jack Carlson came off the bench to provide some big plays down the stretch.

Meanwhile, 13th-ranked Victor (16-8) enters Saturday’s night’s game as the result of a 70-61 upset over previously unbeaten and top-seeded Greece Athena (23-1).

The Blue Devils, who have won five overall Section V titles, are led by Garrett Clar and Nick Leonard. Clar, a senior guard, scored 13 of his 23 points in the fourth quarter against Greece Athena, while Leonard, a 6-foot-5, 240-pound senior forward, scored 15 of his 23 points in the first half and was deadly at the free-throw line, connecting on 13 of 16 attempts.

CLASS C

Avery Brown and Salamanca will take on Avon in Saturday’s 1 p.m. Class B regional. Photo courtesy of Steve Garvey

TONIGHT, 6:30 P.M.

RANDOLPH (21-2) vs. LYONS (21-2)

The defending state champion Cardinals, ranked fifth in the state, will kick off the regional action at Buffalo State tonight against the second-ranked Lyons Lions, a 61-45 winner over Byron-Bergen in the Section V C1-C2 final.

Randolph coach Kevin Hind earned his 400th career win in the Cardinals’ 91-47 Section VI quarterfinal victory over Barker, followed by a semifinal win over Panama (57-33) and a championship victory over Westfield (54-48).

Junior Drew Hind, the coach’s son, leads the way, averaging 21.7 points per game. He scored 29 points and grabbed 10 rebounds in the sectional final. Featuring an all-guard starting lineup, Randolph uses a suffocating 1-3-1 defense that has not allowed an opponent to score 50 points this postseason. Joining Drew Hind in the starting lineup are sophomore Kevin McElwain, senior Roan Kelly, senior Griffin Nelson and sophomore Cooper Freeman.

The Lions’ road to the regional included wins over Bloomfield (76-42), Gananda (71-53) and Pembroke (71-54) in Class C1, followed by their victory over Class C2 Byron-Bergen on Wednesday night.

CLASS B

SATURDAY, 1 P.M.

SALAMANCA (19-5) vs. AVON (23-1)

The sixth-ranked Warriors are making their second trip to the Far West Regional in three seasons, having held off Falconer 55-45 in Tuesday’s crossover game.

Leading the way for Coach Adam Bennett’s crew is senior guard Lucus Brown, who is averaging 25 points per game. In three postseason games at Buffalo State, the 6-foot-1 sharpshooter is averaging 23 points on 19 of 26 shooting, including 8 of 13 from the arc; and has cashed in all seven of his free-throw attempts. Joining Brown in the starting lineup are senior Jaxson Ross, and juniors Avery Brown, Maddox Isaac and Jacob Herrick. Juniors Cory Holleran and Zach Trietley, and sophomore Payton Bradley come off the bench.

Third-ranked Avon, meanwhile, advanced to the regional courtesy of Class B2 wins over Le Roy (68-64 in overtime) and Marcus Whitman (69-47). In the Class B crossover game, the Braves rolled past B1 Mynderse 70-48.

Trevor Stroud led the way for the winners with 25 points, Michael Rowland added 19 points and 14 rebounds, and Josh Harter collected 12 points and 10 assists.

CLASS D

SATURDAY, 6 P.M.

PINE VALLEY (11-11) vs. AVOCA-PRATTSBURGH (14-9)

The 20th-ranked Panthers, who advanced to the regional by virtue of their 30-28 victory over Clymer in the Section VI final, will face the third-ranked Titans, who posted Section V playoff wins over Friendship-Scio (75-28), Hammondsport (90-60) and Elba (50-37).

In the title game, Most Valuable Player Macoy Putnam scored 17 points, and Jaedon Crowder and Daniel Stilson both had 12.

In its sectional title win over Clymer, Pine Valley led 10-1 after the first quarter and 14-8 at halftime, but saw the Pirates take the lead, thanks to a 20-8 run in the third period. In the final eight minutes, however, the Panthers held Clymer scoreless to squeeze out the two-point win.

Pine Valley is led by Jon Sheldon (14.8 points, 8.8 rebounds); Miles Volk (12.7 points, 9.2 rebounds); and Nick Seabolt (8.2 points).

The Panthers road to Buffalo State included a 62-32 win over Forestville in the semifinals before edging Clymer in the title game.