A new year brings new beginnings for all, including the varsity basketball team.

After winning a state championship last season, Chaminade hoped to get back to its winning ways to kick off 2025. The Flyers opened their campaign by dropping three of their first five games, including a loss to Long Island Lutheran, the second ranked high-school basketball team in the country. 

Things began to turn around for the Flyers the weekend of December 27-28, as Chaminade reigned victorious in two thrilling games at the Christian Brothers Academy Holiday Tournament in Albany.

At the time, Flyers head coach Dan Feeney hoped the weekend sweep was a sign of what was to come, but he also knew there was work to be done. 

"I think we're happy that we played better," said Feeney, "but I think the message is that we can't be comfortable. Once we get comfortable, we struggle." 

With this in mind, Feeney's squad looked to open the calendar year with a win when they traveled to Uniondale to take on their Marianist rival, Kellenberg, on January 3. The Firebirds came into Friday's game winning eight of their first nine, including six victories over public schools.

With Kellenberg playing their first league game of the season and Chaminade trying to turn the page on their uneven start, both squads had something to prove. 

Points were at a premium in the first quarter, with both schools coming out flat on offense. Each team played aggressive defense and rebounded well, but Chaminade rode eight early points from senior guard Ricky Gunther to a 12-6 lead at the end of the first quarter.

The tide turned in the second quarter, with both defenses starting to collapse. Chaminade gave up easy points on offensive rebounds by Kellenberg guards Jack Geoghan and Stephen Kiernan. The Flyers didn't fall behind, however, as buckets from Gunther, Kyle Dillon, and Michael Wede gave Chaminade a 29-17 advantage at halftime.

The offenses continued to prevail in the third quarter, with both teams scoring 20 points in the frame. Midway through the quarter, Chaminade went on a 10-3 run, forcing Kellenberg to talk things over. The Firebirds responded with a burst of their own, netting points in transition and capitalizing on opportunities from the free-throw line. However, the Flyers maintained a 49-37 lead after 24 minutes. 

The fans turned up the temperature in the fourth quarter, with both squads receiving raucous responses as they traded buckets in crunch time. With less than three minutes left, Dillon quieted the Firebird faithful with an emphatic one-handed jam off a steal. The next offensive possession for the Flyers resulted in a Joseph Leyden three from the left corner, sealing Chaminade's 69-57 win. 

The Flyers were carried by third-year varsity player Ricky Gunther, who scored 29 of Chaminade's 69 points. 

"He's put some extra work in these last few weeks, and it's starting to pay off," admitted Feeney. Gunther's 29 points, highlighted by a perfect eight-for-eight from the free-throw line, were a season high.

Now 2-0 in league play, Chaminade's schedule didn't get any easier, as they were set to face off against two city schools, Monsignor Scanlan and Bishop Loughlin, in the 10th Annual Gary Charles Tip of the Hat Hoops Classic.

The games took place on Saturday and Sunday at Chaminade, with a total of 14 games being played between schools from all over Long Island and New York City. 

On Saturday, the Flyers took on the boys from the Bronx, facing a Monsignor Scanlan squad that was riding a five-game winning streak into the game.

Chaminade came out fast, leading 11-3 after the first four minutes. Both teams finished the quarter strong, but the Flyers remained on top, 21-15. The Crusaders were paced by their leading scorer, Dior Anderson, who netted seven of his 14 points in the first eight minutes. Gunther continued his hot shooting from the previous night, knocking down three of his five three-pointers in the game's first frame.

Both offenses picked up where they left off, thriving in the second quarter as Chaminade carried a 46-34 lead into the half. Dillon and Gunther worked to preserve the Flyers lead, scoring the basketball and creating looks for their teammates. For Monsignor Scanlan, Anderson and senior forward Kemar Martin helped to keep the Crusaders within reach. 

The game slowed down in the third quarter, especially in the last four minutes. Both schools worked the opposing defense, drawing fouls to get to the charity stripe. After a pair of Erik Graves free throws to close out the third quarter, the Crusaders still trailed the Flyers, 59-50.

Monsignor Scanlan and Akeem Mclaren came out quickly to start the final frame. Scanlan went on a 7-0 run in the first minute of the quarter - with five points coming from Mclaren - to make the contest a one-possession game.

With 5:30 left, the Crusaders tied it at 61, but Chaminade refused to give up, scoring eight unanswered points in less than a minute, with six of the points coming via two deep threes from Wede. 

Scanlon was unable to recover from this blitz, as Gunther continued to score, finishing the game with 32 points, a new career high.

Chaminade hit 11 three-pointers on just 19 attempts, leading the Flyers to an exciting 84-71 victory. The trio of Gunther, Dillon, and Wede combined for 62 points and nine threes, once again shooting Chaminade to victory.

Coach Feeney had high praise for his senior star, saying, "[Ricky] cares about winning, he plays within himself… and when he plays how we want him to, it's great." 

Gunther, pleased with his team's performance, stated, "We schedule these games against city teams on purpose because they're good competition… so wins like this mean a lot." 

Chaminade's final game of the weekend and third in three days came against Brooklyn's Bishop Loughlin on Sunday night. The Lions entered the game looking to break over .500, coming in with a 6-6 record. 

The Flyers were faced with a big challenge - a 6'10, 250 lb. challenge.

Nicknamed Big Papa, Loughlin's sophomore center Papa Diop showed he was ready to give Chaminade nightmares from the jump. 

The Lions finished the first quarter leading 14-13, with Diop and fellow sophomore Marlon Martinez combining for 11 points. For Chaminade, it was Wede and Leyden lighting it up from beyond the arc to keep the Flyers close. 

Chaminade played smart in the second frame, forcing Diop into foul trouble. This didn't stop Bishop Loughlin, however, with Bryce Hamilton and Nadon Dean scoring the ball for the Lions. Chaminade's three-point shooting was on point once again, connecting on six long balls in the first half. Senior guard James Prendergast ended the second quarter with a buzzer-beating three, but Chaminade still trailed 28-27 at halftime. 

Dillon helped spark Chaminade's second-half comeback, hitting an early three in the third quarter to tie the game at 30. After both schools traded buckets for the next four minutes, Wede and Peter Tagios III helped Chaminade take their first lead of the game. A late technical foul on Bishop Loughlin's Lameek Roberts gave Gunter two free throws to end the quarter, gifting Chaminade a 46-44 advantage heading into the final eight minutes.

After a back-and-forth third quarter, it was all Flyers in the fourth. Under two minutes into the frame, Dillon knocked down a rainbow three over Diop and then layed home a breakaway to give Chaminade an eight-point lead.

Wede then had the highlight of the night with a between-the-legs, step-back three over Hamilton to seal Chaminade's 64-51 win. 

Chaminade limited the Lions to just seven points in the fourth quarter.

"Defensively, communicating with each other on the court and having the bench call out our defenses is crucial," said Dillon after his team's late stand against Bishop Loughlin. 

"Offensively, we were able to stay composed because we go over these types of situations every day at practice," he added. 

Chaminade hit a total of 13 threes and tallied 16 assists on Sunday night. 

"It's always a focus for us to play as a group and to trust each other," Coach Feeney admitted. "We have started to do a better job of that, leading to our recent success."

It's safe to say that the Chaminade Flyers are back in business.

After prevailing at the CBA Tournament in Albany, earning a gritty road victory at Kellenberg, and securing two nail-biters over city schools in the Gary Charles Tip of the Hat Classic, Chaminade has found its form.

The Flyers will ride their five-game winning streak into their game tonight at the AAC against St. Mary's. Tip-off is 7:30 p.m.