On the grandest of stages, Chaminade led by three as Holy Trinity inbounded the ball with 25 seconds left in overtime and the game on the line.

The Titans were searching for an open look - a rarity on this night - when Chaminade junior Peter Tagios intercepted a pass from Holy Trinity's 6'5 forward Baron Pinsky, thus sealing an exciting 57-53 victory for the Flyers in the first high-school game ever played at UBS Arena.

Friday night's matchup was the opening act of the LuHi Holiday Invitational, preluding the highly anticipated contest between Long Island Lutheran and Sierra Canyon (California). 

Both Chaminade and Holy Trinity players snuck glances around the cavernous court as they warmed up in preparation to play in front of the biggest crowd of their lives. Shouldering no shortage of pressure, both teams wanted to come out of this historic showdown with both bragging rights and a win.

After snagging the CHSAA New York State championship last season, Chaminade desperately needed a victory after starting this campaign 0-2.

It was a close one throughout, as Holy Trinity led at the end of the first quarter, 18-16. The Titans capitalized on open threes and quick drives to the rim from Pinsky and junior Tristan Thomas. The Titans capped off the final four minutes of the first frame on an 11-6 run.

Senior Rickey Gunther and junior Mike Wede came up big for the Flyers in the second quarter. Gunther, a third-year varsity player and two-time league champion, scored six of his 11 points in the second stanza, highlighted by a three-ball from the right wing. Wede scored nine of his 11 points in the first half, including a deep left-wing three from way beyond the college line, eliciting an audible gasp from the crowd. After closing the second quarter on an 8-0 run, Chaminade ended the first half up, 32-27. 

Both teams slowed down after the break, as the two squads combined for just 12 points on five field goals in the third quarter. This stretch included several missed free throws, as neither team was able to capitalize from the charity stripe. Chaminade shot 46% from the line, while Holy Trinity hit at just a 27% rate. After the final 3:34 of the quarter went scoreless, Chaminade still led a close one, 37-34. 

The fourth quarter couldn't have gone any better, as Trinity fought back and took the lead early, but the game remained tight - the lead changing on nearly each possession. With 1:47 left in the game and Chaminade down two, Dillon drilled a contested left-corner three to give his Flyers a 48-47 edge. 

With 20 seconds left and the Flyers still ahead by one, Dillon fouled Holy Trinity's Thomas, who finished the game with 18 points and nine rebounds. Thomas went to the line with a chance to give his Titans the late lead, but Dillon and Chaminade caught a break, as the first free throw rattled in and out. Thomas converted the second to tie the game at 48.

After a sequence of fouls on the floor and a tip out of bounds from Holy Trinity, Chaminade inbounded the ball from right in front of their bench with three seconds remaining. Gunter threw it into the hands of starting forward Peter Tagios, who pulled up from the right elbow, but he was too strong with his effort, sending the first-ever high school basketball game at UBS into overtime.

A little over a minute into the extra session, Tagios caught the defense sleeping, cut baseline, and hit the layup while getting fouled, turning the momentum towards Chaminade. After converting on the and-one, Chaminade led by four with 2:50 to play.

Jagger Verzosa and Holy Trinity didn't give up, as Verzosa scored while getting fouled on the very next possession, but he missed the free throw, an ongoing issue for the Titans this night. 

In crunch time, Pinsky hit a deep three over the outstretched arm of Gunter with 1:27 left in overtime to tie the game at 53 and put thoughts of double overtime into play.

Then, after Chaminade's Greg Wyckoff missed a Euro step layup with a minute to go, Tagios fought for the offensive rebound and got fouled going up for a shot. The second-year varsity player hit one of two free throws to push his Flyers ahead, 54-53. 

On Chaminade's next offensive possession, Dillon was fouled and knocked down both free throws to give the Flyers a 56-53 advantage.

Holy Trinity had 25 seconds left and a chance to tie it, but they turned it over on the steal by Tagios and Chaminade held on to win, 57-53. 

"It was a really cool event to play in, but at the same time, I'm just happy we won a game," said Coach Feeney. "We went in without any wins and walked out with one; that's what we tried to accomplish."

Dillon ended the game with a season-high 19 points for Chaminade, but an even bigger impact was made by Tagios, who added 13 points while grabbing a team-high 15 rebounds. 

"Peter won the game for us with how tough he played," admitted Feeney. "Peter played his tail off. He made mistakes like the rest of us, but if he plays that hard with that much physicality and that much aggression, we become a better team."

The following afternoon, Elmont High School hosted the Flyers in a Catholic vs. public school matchup. The Spartans, last year's NYS AA champions, came into Saturday's action at 2-2.

Elmont is not the same team they were last year, however. Many of the players on this year's roster are talented football players, with Khalil Muhammad, Arlyn Brown, and Nassir Edwards each earning All-County honors in the fall. 

The Flyers led this one early and never looked back, pushing the margin to 26-14 at halftime. Dillon and Wyckoff carried Chaminade early, scoring seven and five points, respectively. Chaminade ended the half on a 10-2 run, capped by a layup from Dillon off an inbounds pass under the basket. 

In the third quarter, Dillon couldn't be stopped, scoring nine of his 16 points in the frame. Arlyn Brown hit two three-pointers for Elmont; however, it wasn't enough, as the Flyers led 42-26 as the game went to the fourth quarter. 

Chaminade saw some good efforts from the bench in the final frame, with guards James Prendergast, Joe Leyden, Ryan Battaglia, and Ian Laurencin each making contributions. Laurencin, a second-year varsity player, dropped a season-high nine points off the bench, with five coming in the fourth quarter. 

"Ian gave us a great lift in the first half today," said Feeney. "Defensive energy, made a couple layups, made a three later in the game - just so proud of him. He's put a lot of work into it, and it was finally a little taste to showcase that today."

Laurencin was also pleased with his performance, saying, "I work my tail off at practice… and when I get this opportunity off the bench, I'm going to make the most out of it and do what I need to do to impact winning."

In the Flyers' 53-37 win, Dillon and Laurencin were the lead scorers for Chaminade, helping their team earn its second win in as many days. The Flyers currently stand 2-2.

After an exciting weekend of basketball, Chaminade hopes to ride its newfound momentum into the next game - tip-off at Holy Cross on Saturday, December 21 is at 3:30 p.m.