The horn sounded on Saturday, December 28, and a champion was crowned in Albany, as the Chaminade Flyers cruised to two massive victories at the Christian Brothers Academy Alumni Holiday Tournament, moving over .500 for the first time this season.  

"The contributions from all players helped us this weekend," said head coach Daniel Feeney. "We practiced much better, and we were more prepared for competition."

The Crimson and Gold defeated the tournament's host, Christian Brothers Academy, on Friday before topping La Salle Institute from Troy the next day. The Flyers were led by junior guard Michael Wede, who scored 45 points over the two games to earn the weekend's Coach Jim Pedlow Most Valuable Player Award. 

"Michael had a good weekend," reflected Feeney. "His confidence is growing, but his work ethic has also improved, which has helped him gain confidence.  He is an important piece for us this season."

Leading up to Friday night's clash with CBA, Chaminade had extra motivation - the Flyers had a chance to foil the night for the Brothers, who were honoring former head coach Dave Doemel by naming their home court after him. 

CBA had a quick start to the contest, as star Jayden Osinski scored all seven points to give his Brothers an early 7-3 lead. Osinski continued to shine thereafter, tallying five of the next seven points for Christian Brothers Academy and increasing his team's advantage to five.

However, a 5-0 run from Chaminade over the next three minutes evened the score at 14 with one minute to go in the first frame. The first quarter ended with the Brothers in front, 16-14. 

To kick off the second quarter, the Flyers went on a 7-2 spurt, fueled by two Gregory Wyckoff putbacks, to take a 21-18 edge.

After a series of sloppy plays from both teams, Chaminade found its rhythm with 3:30 remaining in the first half. Ricky Gunther, Peter Tagios III, and Wede all contributed to a remarkable 12-3 stretch, allowing the Flyers to go into halftime with a 34-23 advantage.

To start the second half, the Crimson and Gold dominated, more than doubling CBA on the scoreboard. The Flyers went on a 19-2 run, ignited by four three-pointers from Wede, to give the Crimson and Gold a 61-36 lead at the end of the third quarter.

The final frame saw only 16 points scored, as Chaminade took home the victory, 68-45.

Wede dropped 26 points, nearly all of which came via his eight three-pointers.

"When I got it going, I just had a feeling that anything would drop," said Wede after the game. "I trusted that my teammates would find me."

The following night, the Flyers faced off against the La Salle Cadets. 

Both teams battled hard throughout the first four minutes of the game. La Salle had an 11-9 advantage when Chaminade went on a 9-1 spurt, with Kyle Dillon and Wede each totaling six early points to give the Flyers momentum. 

The Cadets responded with their own 9-2 stretch, ending the first quarter with a 21-20 edge. Davon Maloney and Tra'Dell Faison accounted for all 21 points for La Salle in the period.

Chaminade started the second quarter strong, as Dillon netted five points in the first few minutes to pilot the Flyers on a 10-4 run. 

The rest of the first half was filled with back-and-forth action. Joseph Leyden and James Prendergast provided good minutes off the bench for the Flyers, but the Cadets' duo of Maloney and Faison cut the deficit to two as they went into halftime trailing Chaminade, 43-41. 

Once again, another stretch of great teamwork and tough defense led the Flyers to an impressive spurt out of halftime. Gunther spearheaded a 21-7 assault by getting to the charity stripe and banging home open threes.

The lead was 16 and the Flyers were surging, but the Cadets inched back, as Maloney and Faison brought La Salle within 1t. However, a 5-0 run from Chaminade - capped by a buzzer-beating three-pointer from Prendergast - propelled the lead back to 16 as the third quarter ended with Chaminade in front, 71-55.

In the final frame, Wede stole the show. Firing from way downtown, the sharpshooting guard drained two triples and had eight points in the quarter to close out the Flyers' 85-74 win.

The trio of Gunther, Wede, and Dillon combined for 61 of Chaminade's 85 points.

After the game, the Crimson and Gold hoisted the championship trophy. Joy was evident on each player's face during the postgame meeting in their locker room when Coach Feeney bolted inside and let out a loud scream, punctuating Chaminade's amazing weekend.

"The energy and effort was excellent," reflected Feeney after the weekend.  "It is not easy to travel and bring that effort and intensity, but the squad was excellent as far as that goes."

The Flyers hope that this tournament could be a turning point for their season just like the Governors Challenge, which was played in Maryland, was for last year's squad. After a 4-2 start in 2023, the Crimson and Gold went 15-4 following the tournament on their way to a CHSAA New York State championship.

"This tournament could definitely be a spark," admitted Feeney. "I am grateful for our school's administration to support trips like this and to get tested in a variety of different environments.  Events and trips like this can prepare us for whatever we face down the road."