With 10 seconds left, Chaminade needed a three to save its season.
After St. Dominic's star Melo Mojeed made a crucial free throw to extend the Bayhawks' lead to three, Chaminade's Lucas Dillon caught the inbounds pass, dribbled across halfcourt to the left wing, and pulled up for an off-balance three-pointer.
His attempt missed everything, falling into the hands of the Bayhawks' Nick Lang and sealing fourth-seeded St. Dom's astonishing 60-57 comeback victory over top-seeded Chaminade in the NSCHSAA semifinals on Tuesday night at Adelphi University.
As the buzzer sounded, the Bayhawks stormed the court, jumping and hugging one other. The joyous celebration continued in their locker room in a more subdued manner, with the team quickly shifting its sights to Friday night's league final (which they ultimately lost to Holy Trinity, 77-60).
"Locker room was hype, but not too much celebrating," said St. Dominic's head coach Isaiah Wilson, who has now led his team to the league finals in back-to-back seasons. "The celebration was on the court, and the reality of 'the job is not finished' was mentioned by the players."
On the other side, it was heartbreak for the Flyers:
"After the loss, guys were upset, but everyone appreciated the group we had and the countless hours we put in together," said senior captain Ryan Fennelly. "Everyone was hugging each other, as we knew how special this team was to us."
"In short, just 'thank you,'" remarked Chaminade head coach Dan Feeney on what he said to his team postgame. "You just try to say 'thank you' and not a whole lot. You're there for those guys and give them a hug when they walk out."
The first half of this semifinal affair was as even as could be, as both sides displayed balance and poise on each end of the floor. After the first 16 minutes of action, Chaminade led, 32-27.
The first five minutes of the third quarter were all Crimson and Gold, as an immediate 7-0 spurt followed by an extended 17-5 run created a 17-point advantage for the Flyers. It was arguably one of their best stretches in a game all season, as every player who stepped on the floor to start the half scored. Three-point shooting was a huge piece to the puzzle, with Diego Dersch, Michael Wede, and Jake Ellwood all notching triples to help grow the lead.
Chaminade's defense was also spectacular to start the third, shutting down St. Dominic's offense and forcing Mojeed to generate opportunities all by himself. At the 3:06 mark in the third frame, Chaminade led, 49-32.
Then, everything changed.
A timeout on the floor gave the Bayhawks a chance to regroup, and regroup they did.
"We just told the team to stay positive and not to give up," remembered Wilson. "We pointed to Melo about staying positive and getting guys more involved. We also told the team we came too far to give up now."
It started on defense, as Mojeed and Lang helped St. Dom's stack stops. The Bayhawks parlayed this tenacity into offensive success, as they ripped off an 11-2 run to end the period - one which was punctuated by an acrobatic Cameron Obijuru layup to cut Dom's deficit to eight.
"Just moving our feet on defense and taking away all of the catch-and-shoot opportunities from Chaminade," explained Wilson regarding what worked so well defensively. "Also, weak-side help defense, too."
It was much the same in the final frame. On the defensive end, the Bayhawks continued to clamp down, yielding the Flyers just six points in the period. Offensively, they clawed back with a full-team effort. Five different players scored in the quarter, including Cristian Follett - in for the fouled-out Nick Anson - who banked in the go-ahead layup off a nifty feed from Mojeed to put the Bayhawks on top, 57-56, with just one minute to play.
Their season on the line, Chaminade still had a chance to pull out the victory. However, the Flyers failed to finish the job. It was a gut-wrenching end to an otherwise sensational season.
"We kind of let our foot off the gas. When you're up 17 in playoff basketball, you can't relax at all," said Kyle Dillon, another senior captain. "They picked up the pressure, hit some big shots, and we didn't execute the way we needed to."
"I think we became a little stagnant offensively. We had a few turnovers and got called for a few illegal screens," added Feeney. "It was just one of those games where the lid was on the hoop late, and guys had to step up and make a play, and we didn't late in the game, across the board."
Despite the devastating defeat, it was still a relatively successful campaign for the Flyers. They went 18-7 overall - a four-win improvement from the previous season - and 9-3 in the league, good enough for their fourth No. 1 seed in the past five years.
The Crimson and Gold also had four players take home honors for their efforts throughout the season: the elder Dillon was named NSCHSAA Player of the Year and First Team All-League, the younger Dillon was named Second Team All-League, and both Wede and Ellwood were named All-League.
"It shows the work all the guys on our team put in, day in and day out," explained Wede, the final of the team's three senior captains. "Everyone pushes each other at practice, but a lot of the work comes from what you do out of practice, and I know many guys on this team spend hours each week in the gym on their own and get shots up after practice."
"Being part of this team meant everything, as the camaraderie we had was simply unmatched," remarked Fennelly. "It was a brotherhood that grinded together."
"Everyone on this team wanted to win. We all trusted each other to make the right play, and a lot of that comes from our off-the-court bonding, added Wede. "Many times after practice, we would go to the diner as a team, which definitely brought us closer together."
"We say as coaches sometimes that our favorite part of the day is from three to seven o'clock, when you go to basketball. When you get that same feeling from the kids, I think it makes it that much more enjoyable," said Feeney, who will graduate nine seniors from the squad this spring. "At the end of the day, you remember the people and just how they approached everything. I thought the senior group, as a whole, was really good with that."
