With 2:10 to go in the third quarter, Nigel James came up with a steal, broke loose in transition, and threw down a powerful one-handed jam, putting the exclamation mark on the LuHi Crusaders' 94-47 victory over the Chaminade Flyers on Tuesday afternoon at the AAC.

It was the season opener for the Flyers; after four scrimmages against strong competition, the Crimson and Gold were ready to run it back and begin their season-long battle to repeat as state champions.

LuHi came in at 1-0 after a commanding 74-35 victory in their opener against St. Joseph's Collegiate (Buffalo). The Crusaders, ranked #2 in the country by ESPN, are once again members of the Nike EYBL Scholastic League, the top high-school basketball league in the nation. They are led by future college stars Kiyan Anthony (who missed Tuesday's game with an injury), Kayden and Dylan Mingo, and Nigel James, Jr.

This has been a one-sided series over the past two decades, as LuHi entered with a 16-game win streak against Chaminade. The Flyers' last victory against their Brookville foes came all the way back in December of 2006.

It was a dogfight of a first quarter, as both teams struggled to put the ball in the hoop. Early on, the Flyers were feisty, as a layup by Ricky Gunther and a three by Kyle Dillon electrified the Flyer faithful. Dillon led Chaminade with 17 points. 

 However, the Crusaders settled in and rattled off a 14-2 run to close the opening frame. James drilled two three-pointers and added a two-handed slam to put the visitors up, 20-8.

After netting only eight points in the opening frame, Chaminade continued to have trouble offensively in the second quarter, as the Crusaders clamped down big-time on defense. The Flyers could not get a good look from anywhere, with James and the Mingo brothers playing tenacious perimeter defense. 

LuHi extended their 14-2 run from the previous quarter and pushed it to 21-2. The game was quickly turning into the Nigel James show, as the Marquette signee added two more threes and dished out an impeccable behind-the-back pass to Dylan Mingo, who banked in a three from the right wing. At intermission, LuHi led 38-19.

James finished with a team-high 21 points, four assists and two steals.

However, it was not just James, as the Crusaders turned in a full team effort. Dylan Mingo finished with 11 points, Nick Onyekwere and Moussa Kamisoko had multiple blocks apiece, and Kayden Mingo and MJ Madison provided quickness both on the perimeter and in transition. 

Despite being down 19, the Flyers felt they were a few buckets away from making it a close affair at halftime; still, plenty of mistakes got in their way and prevented this from happening.

"I thought early on, we actually gave a really good effort in the first half," said Chaminade's head coach, Dan Feeney. "We gave up a ton of size, so we can learn to rebound against those guys, and in the first half we did that okay. Just got to mix that with playing a little smarter; a few bad decisions against the number-two team in the country and you go down 19 at halftime." 

Both teams came out of the break looking much improved on offense. James drilled his fifth three, Kayden Mingo cashed one from deep, and Onyekwere had eight quick points for LuHi. As for the Flyers, Gunther and Gregory Wyckoff added easy layups, and Michael Wede connected on a deep three. However, the Crusaders still maintained a large lead, extending it into the 20s as the quarter wore on.

After an uncharacteristically quiet first half, Kayden Mingo came alive. The Penn State signee, one of that program's highest-ranked recruits in their history, put up 11 in the third quarter alone, including a trifecta of threes. He finished with 13 points, five shy of his brother Dylan, who went for 18. 

At the end of the third quarter, LuHi led, 70-37.

It was smooth sailing for the Crusaders the rest of the way, as Omar Essam, Peyton Howell, and Carter Abernathy logged quality minutes off the bench for head coach John Buck. 

Ryan Battaglia put in good work for the Flyers in the final frame, providing energy for the home team despite being down by a large margin.

Even though it was a rough game for the Flyers, it was an unquestionably valuable experience.

"We'll play these games every year; they make us better, especially playing them early in the season," said Feeney. "Between the four scrimmages and this game, I would think we'd be in a good spot - hopefully - by Friday."

LuHi will hit the road this weekend, as they will be participating in the Sunshine Classic in Florida, taking on Brewster Academy and Montverde Academy to open up their EYBL slate. 

The Flyers will now shift their sights to Friday's Lt. Frank Haggerty Memorial Game against the Port Washington Vikings, a well-rounded public school opponent. Tip-off is set for 7:30 p.m. at the AAC.