As the buzzer sounded at Holy Trinity High School on December 10, Stevyn Sombrotto threw up a prayer from just inside the halfcourt stripe. The shot hit the front rim before finding its way in, ending the third quarter and sending the Flyers' bench into a frenzy.
That same sort of energy has been following the JV squad through its first four games of this young season, as the team remained undefeated with Tuesday night's 90-37 win over the Titans.
The Flyers' impressive start now includes three wins in league play over St. Mary's, St. Dominic's and Holy Trinity. The team also has traveled to Christ the King, a strong city opponent, and reigned victorious, 52-45.
In Friday's matchup against St. Dominic's, Chaminade jumped out to a remarkable 20-0 lead less than six minutes into the contest - the Bayhawks quickly proving to be no match for the Flyers. Chaminade picked apart St. Dom's zone defense, finding open cuts all night long. Their transitions from defense to offense - something Coach O'Connell stresses - contributed to the team's success.
St. Dominic's found their rhythm in the second quarter, going on an 18-7 run to cut the deficit to nine. Aidan Cromwell had the hot hand for the Bayhawks, as he filled the stat sheet with 15 first-half points, finishing with 22 for the game while shooting a perfect four-for-four from downtown. However, this nine-point margin was the closest the Bayhawks would come, as the Flyers extended the lead to 15 heading into halftime.Â
The third quarter was just like the first. The lead almost tripled for Chaminade, as the scoreboard read 74-33 before the last quarter of action was set to begin.Â
When the final buzzer sounded, Chaminade had five players with double-digit point totals, led by a team-high 17 points from Nicholas Collura. Other notable performances were highlighted by a double-double from Nicholas Sweeney and seven assists from Jake Ellwood.Â
When asked about his squad's chemistry, Coach O'Connell stated, "That's what the team is based on. Tenacious defense and intensity. Guys have strengths that play off of each other, and it benefits everyone."
Next up were the defending JV champs, Holy Trinity, who topped last season's JV Flyers by scores of 69-43 and 67-54. This year, the Flyers flipped the script.
Even though Chaminade was on the road, they seemed at home in their opponent's territory. Turning over the Titans time and time again was the name of Chaminade's game. In surprising fashion, Holy Trinity was run off the court in the game's first eight minutes, as the Flyers went into the second quarter up, 29-3.Â
Excellent ball movement and sharing created chance after chance for Chaminade. No one player was doing it all; instead, production came via a combination of all five players on the court.Â
The Titans could not get many shots to fall, with almost all of their possessions finishing with a one-and-done. Jonathan Walsh cleaned up the boards for the Flyers, grabbing every rebound he could.Â
Clean defense throughout kept the Titans in check. For Holy Trinity, freshman Mahki Reeves carried the team. Multiple "and-ones" fell for the guard, but his production was nowhere near enough for Trinity to keep up.
Chaminade's reserve players found their fair share of time on the floor, as the Flyers ran away with the game to keep their perfect season intact.Â
The final score of 90-37 represented the JV team's third win by 40-or-more points over its first four games.