Nothing but positivity has followed Chaminade's JV team in the opening weeks of 2025. The squad is 5-1 since 2025 began and is playing its best basketball to date. With the team already surpassing its win total from last year, championship aspirations have been percolating.

Their most recent pair of games served as tests of both their talent and resilience, as MLK weekend brought with it two non-conference games against Iona Prep and Mount St. Michael - the last non-league matchups for Chaminade this winter. 

The Gaels came calling on Saturday, January 18 in the AAC. Known for its formidable hoops program, Iona Prep was sure to test the Flyers, as Iona had just knocked off the Lions of Bishop Loughlin - a team which had beaten Chaminade the weekend prior. 

The game's first quarter featured both sides trading baskets, as Iona Prep seemed comfortable running its offense in Mineola. Chaminade was faced with a light press from the Gaels, but they too found little trouble getting the points they wanted. 

The Flyers, with only one loss at home and two all season, often force an early timeout from their foe because of their propensity for strong first-quarter play.  Iona Prep had no reason to call timeout as this opening quarter went on, however, and Chaminade narrowly led at its end, 15-14. 

The second quarter saw both sides endure a scoring drought for much of the period, with the Flyers failing to get a bucket for about four minutes. Two deep balls from Jake Ellwood kicked Chaminade's offense into gear, however, as Sean Ambrosi then found himself wide open for a layup, and Jonathan Walsh added with a triple of his own. 

The Gaels remained steady, tying the game with a floater on the last possession of the first half to even the score at 26.

As usual, Chaminade came out strong to open the second half. The Flyers put up 24 points in the third frame, nearly matching their first-half total. They exploited Iona Prep's zone defense by kicking it out for the deeper jumpshots which were often available.

Michael Petrizzo and Nicholas Collura were difference-makers in the second half, but it was Jake Ellwood's day. His hot hand allowed him to accumulate 20 points in just three quarters of action, with his sixth three-pointer of the afternoon dropping as the time expired in the third quarter to extend his Flyers lead, 50-45.

The Flyers' bench, already alive after the Ellwood three, fueled Chaminade as they closed out Iona Prep in the final minutes. A Nicholas Sweeney steal and runaway layup forced a Gaels timeout with seven minutes left, as the Chaminade lead had ballooned to nine. After opening the final frame on a four-minute scoring drought, Iona Prep left themselves with too much to do and not enough time to do it, as the Flyers prevailed, 64-53, for their third consecutive victory.

The team's Monday matchup with Mount St. Michael was canceled due to inclement weather, so Chaminade shifted its focus to Tuesday's tilt against St. Anthony's. The Friars entered the game with just one loss in CHSAA play, ready to renew their rivalry with the Flyers. 

For Chaminade, it was clear before tipoff that they might have a hard time in Huntington, as a loud and engaged crowd filled the stands at St. Anthony's High School.

Early on, the Friars excelled, showcasing outstanding ball movement and perimeter shooting. St. Anthony's was speeding up the pace of play and forcing Chaminade into uncharacteristic turnovers, and the Flyers trailed 13-10 as the buzzer sounded to mark the end of the first quarter. However, Chaminade crept back into the game and took the lead at halftime after a Walsh put-back with 1:11 remaining in the first half. 

Although most of the starting lineup struggled to fill the statsheet, Nicholas Sweeney blocked out the noise and stuck to his game. A double-double from the big man to go along with a drawn charge proved he wasn't letting the crowd get into his head. The sophomore was doing a lot of the dirty work for the Flyers, leading them a 19-18 advantage at halftime.

By the start of the third quarter, it had become apparent that points were going to come at a premium the rest of the way. Chaminade's biggest lead of the day came just minutes into the second half after a 7-0 run spearheaded by two layups and another charge drawn by Sweeney.

The Flyers were in front 26-20 with 4:30 to go in the third frame, but the Friars were out of the contest, making good use of what Chaminade gave them and cashing in from both midrange and beyond the arc.

Guard Luke Baumbach showcased his deep range, becoming harder for the Friars to keep in check as the game wore on. However, turnovers started piling up and shots stopped falling for the Flyers, who quickly found themselves trailing, 33-28.

A huge "and-one" from Sean Ambrosi tied the score at 33 with seven minutes to play, but shortly after his big bucket, Ambrosi fouled out, forcing Chaminade to call on its reserves. 

Over the game's closing minutes, Chaminade went one-and-done on the offensive end numerous times, while the Friars hit shots in crunch time. Freshman guard Aidyn Bynoe was key to controlling the pace down the stretch for St. Anthony's,as he connected on a few looks of his own to give the Friars some breathing room.

The Flyers fought back, however, cutting the lead to one with three-and-a-half minutes to go and deploying a full-court press. But St. Anthony's drilled back-to-back treys to stop the bleeding and put the game on ice. The score went from 38-37 to 44-37 in just one minute, and St. Anthony's hit its free throws down the stretch to seal the win, 54-46.

Sweeney led the Flyers with 17 points and Ellwood added 10, as Chaminade dropped its first game in-conference game of the season. 

The Flyers next travel to Islip on Friday, where they look to complete a regular-season sweep of St. John the Baptist. This will be followed by a rematch with the Friars next Tuesday, January 28, with the top seed in the playoffs potentially on the line.