Facing a formidable five-game stretch to start the season, the Chaminade Flyers fired up their engines and lifted off the tarmac, landing three hard-fought victories over the campaign's first two weeks.

"Our kids look forward to every game on our schedule. The competition and who we play is why kids want to play at Chaminade," said fifth-year head coach Dan Feeney. "When you face great opponents, sometimes that involves losing. It is always awesome to win, but if we lose and learn from it, I can live with that. We got better from our first game to our fifth."

The Flyers opened up the season on December 3 with a tough battle at Christ the King. The Royals tested the Crimson and Gold from the get-go, capitalizing on both numerous turnovers and a hot offensive start to build a 22-6 edge in the first eight minutes. After seizing control in this first frame, the Royals never looked back. Aaron Ellis led the charge with 29 points in a 77-47 flushing of the Flyers.

"Our lack of game experience showed in this game," said Feeney. "We got punched in the face and never responded."

Two days later, Chaminade welcomed a tall, athletic Stony Brook Bears squad to the AAC for the annual Lt. Frank Haggerty Memorial Game. Coming into the contest, Stony Brook's size advantage loomed large. With multiple players in the Bears' starting lineup taller than 6'6'',  the Crimson and Gold needed to be physical to mitigate the damage that these big men could do. 

Fortunately for the Flyers, they did just that, as Michael Wede, Jake Ellwood, and Diego Dersch limited the Stony Brook offense and to keep their team within striking distance throughout. On the other end, brothers Lucas and Kyle Dillon scored at will, combining for 43 of Chaminade's 63 points.

At the halfway point, Chaminade led 30-29, but at the start of the second half, Stony Brook's offense took over, outscoring the Flyers by nine points in the third quarter to create an eight-point lead as the game went to its final frame. Point guard Orlando Morris and forward James Augustine combined for 16 points to spearhead the Bears' attack in the third.

However, the script flipped in the final eight minutes, and the Flyers surrendered just four points the rest of the match, giving its offense an opportunity to crawl back into the contest. Down by seven with four minutes to play, Chaminade ended the game on an 11-0 run - punctuated by a go-ahead three from Wede to give his Flyers the lead with 58 seconds remaining. They never trailed again, ultimately capturing a 63-59 win.

"I trusted my work and took the shot with confidence," said Wede. "That's a shot I've taken a thousand times in the yard. I give credit to my teammates for setting me up and trusting me to knock it down." 

"We gave Mike the green light. I'm not at all surprised that he shot it, and it went in," added Feeney. "Mike is experienced enough that he knows what we are looking for as a coaching staff. Shots like that are part of what it means to be a senior."

Just about 24 hours later, Chaminade played its annual game against Long Island Lutheran, the #12 ranked team in the country according to ESPN's Paul Biancardi. In the previous two outings against LuHi, the Flyers lost by a combined 114 points. This year, however, the Crimson and Gold kept the game close, thanks to the otherworldly performance from Kyle Dillon.

In just the first quarter, Dillon scored all 17 Chaminade points, and in the second frame, he added 11 more, leaving the nationally-ranked Crusaders with just a five-point edge at the break.

Facing off a squad featuring seven players with Division I offers isn't easy, but Dillon kept scoring, finishing with 40 points on 16-of-25 shooting, including five threes.

"Scoring 40 points was crazy. I knew I had a lot, but I didn't realize that I had 40," recalled Dillon. "It was a team accomplishment, and a night that we will never forget. It's not every day that you get hot like that, so I just have to enjoy it while I can."

"Kyle couldn't miss a shot. His teammates got him the ball, and he made a ton of big plays at the end of the shot clock," added Feeney. "Day in and day out, Kyle shows that he is going to be a high-level college player."

Despite a career showing for Dillon, it was LuHi who ultimately prevailed, 81-59. 

With a 1-2 record after three games, the Flyers returned to Mineola on December 9 for a home game against one of the best teams in Nassau County - the Uniondale Knights. Chaminade's offensive attack was led by juniors Dersch and Nicholas Sweeney, who each turned in fantastic performances.

The first quarter was headlined by Dersch, who posted 11 points in the first eight minutes after totaling just four points in the Flyers' first three games. 

"In the first few games, I had trouble putting the ball in the basket, and it affected my confidence a bit," said Dersch, who sank three triples in the first quarter alone. "Once I saw that first three go in, I got back into my rhythm and ended up going on a run that our team needed to get us back into the game."

Buoyed by 14 first-half points from Dersch, Chaminade led by five at halftime. In the final four minutes of the third frame, Sweeney took over against the Knights' 2-3 zone, connecting on several layups on his way to totaling 10 points in the quarter.

"As a three-sport athlete, Nick is a jack of all trades. He plays his tail off for us," praised Feeney. "I figured this out about him when I saw him take the ball as the starting pitcher in Game 1 of the NSCHSAA varsity baseball finals against Kellenberg. He is a competitor, a guy who isn't afraid, and someone that I want to go to battle with."

Trailing by five to begin the fourth quarter, Uniondale stars Dylan Hickman and Jayden Oden tried to will their team back, but their efforts weren't enough, as the Flyers held on for a 55-51 victory.

"We had a really good defensive performance against Uniondale," said Feeney. "We maintained a pretty good level of effort, and our understanding of different situations on the court grew."

To round out the season's first five, the Crimson and Gold participated in the Public vs. Private Challenge on December 13 at Elmont, another gritty public school opponent.

The Flyers limited the Spartans to just nine first-half points, creating a bit of a cushion despite their own offensive struggles. Dersch tallied the Flyers' first six points of the game, while Ellwood complemented him by draining three treys to give Chaminade a 21-9 halftime advantage.

In the second half, Wede came alive, connecting on four three-pointers to put the finishing touches on a 56-40 Flyers victory. 

Ellwood finished as the game's leading scorer with a season-high 13 points. 

"When I had games like the first few where shots weren't falling, I had to find other ways to impact the game. Bringing the energy on defense helped me get into a rhythm on offense," Ellwood explained. "I'm excited for what the rest of the season brings because we still haven't played our best basketball as a team yet."

As Christmas approaches, the 3-2 Flyers look ahead to the inaugural NSCHSAA League Tipoff Showcase at Chaminade's Activity-Athletic Center on December 20. As part of the event, the Crimson and Gold will take on St. Mary's in its first league contest of the season. Tipoff is set for 4:15 p.m.