With one minute left in the fourth quarter of the NSCHSAA Finals, Michael Petrizzo hit a wide-open trey from the corner to put the game on ice. He knew it, and so did the crowd. 

The weekend finale for the Flyers took place at Kellenberg Memorial High School, home to the playoff tournament that featured each of the best four freshman and JVA teams in the league. Chaminade was well represented, as both Flyers squads were the top seeds in their respective brackets.

The JV team first had a Saturday date with the fourth-seeded Firebirds, who had given the Flyers a run for their money just eight days prior in a 57-45 Chaminade victory. Kellenberg had hung around for most of that Marianist matchup, but now, the stakes were higher. 

Victorious in both of their regular-season matchups against the Firebirds, it took the Flyers little time to prove why, as Kellenberg was forced to call an early timeout after eight straight points by the Flyers. Jonathon Walsh got on the board quickly, hitting both a layup and deep triple. 

However, it soon became The Jake Ellwood Show. The star guard had 12 points in the first quarter alone, eventually finishing with 22. He had no problem going one-on-one with his defender, leading the Flyers to a 24-8 advantage by the end of the period. 

Outside shooting from Nicholas Collura and Petrizzo also helped build the lead.

That 16-point cursion was soon cut in half by the Firebirds, as they found a rhythm on the offensive end. Guard and primary baller handler Frank Meizoso was instrumental in cutting into Chaminade's lead, as the crowd began to come alive for Kellenberg. However, the Flyers were still in front at halftime, 36-28. 

After intermission, a reinvigorated defense stepped up for the Flyers, forcing Kellenberg into all sorts of trouble and causing turnovers. Chaminade went on a 13-4 run, upping their lead to 17 by the time the Firebirds called timeout. 

The third quarter seemed to drain Kellenberg, who went cold from the field for much of the rest of the way, as Chaminade maintained a sizable lead as time ticked down. 

The final highlight of the afternoon came via the "and-one" from Walsh in the fourth quarter. The big man's celebration could be heard around the gym as he celebrated near the Flyers' bench, his teammates already on their feet. 

Both he and Nicholas Sweeney were notable standouts for Chaminade, as each finished with double-digit point totals in the 63-46 win.

Because the St. Anthony's Friars had already narrowly defeated Holy Trinity in the first semifinal game earlier Saturday, perhaps the best rivalry in Long Island high school sports was renewed once again, with a Friars vs. Flyers championship showdown now slated for just a few hours before the Super Bowl.

The teams split their two regular-season matchups, with the home squad coming out on top both times. This time, the game would be at a neutral site, as both teams made their way back to Uniondale for the final game of the season.

Sunday's crowd featured more fans than Saturday's game, aided by support from Chaminade's varsity and freshman teams, both of which were in attendance.

The Flyers, well known for their hot starts and team chemistry, started this championship bout strong. Ellwood had seven of the team's first eight points, and Sweeney took an early charge, one of three offensive fouls drawn by the sophomore in the game.

St. Anthony's fought back to a 9-8 lead by forcing Chaminade into multiple turnovers. The Flyers responded well, surging to a six-point advantage after the first eight minutes of action, 17-11.

The Friars switched to a zone defense in the second quarter, one that Chaminade was able to break apart, with Sweeney and Walsh each hitting layups in the post. This enabled the Flyers to extend their lead to 10 at halftime.

Joseph DiSanza came off the bench to knock down a big three, but more importantly, he held his ground when guarding one of the Friars best players, Luke Baumbach, although DiSanza picked up two fouls in doing so.

When needed, Ellwood once again delivered.

Coming out of halftime, the guard scored the first seven points of the third quarter to push his team's lead to 17. After Sweeney followed Ellwood's burst with back-to-back layups of his own, St. Anthony's was forced to call timeout, its season on the brink.

The break did St. Anthony's some good, as they went on a run to cut the deficit to 14 and were within shouting distance as the third quarter ended.

But both offenses began to stall as the fourth quarter got underway. The Friars pressed, forcing Chaminade into a few uncharacteristic turnovers, but their lead never dipped below 10 in the second half.

When the final buzzer sounded, the scoreboard read 59-43, and Chaminade was crowned NSCHSAA champions.

Sweeney and Ellwood, both team captains, accepted the championship plaque. 

The team celebrated the win with Coach O'Connell, who was seen dancing with his players in the locker room.

The Flyers worked long and hard to earn this title, as their season began in mid-November and stretched all the way into early February. Over that span, they had accumulated 20 wins and suffered just three losses. 

Their team chemistry has clearly increased over this time, as this group of guys clearly trusts one other - no game is just a one-man show. 

Having captured the freshman championship last year under freshman head coach Michael Ferrara, the challenge for these Flyers will become even greater as they move to the varsity level.

After the championship win, the mastermind behind this year's run, former Flyer Thomas O'Connell, reflected on his season as head coach as one of the most successful JV basketball teams in Chaminade history:

"It was a great way to end the season; we had a great weekend," he admitted. "We were the strongest team in the league and had to prove ourselves. Our defense was key; all five starters stepped up."