Undefeated Gaels Down Chaminade 72-60

They say history repeats itself.

Senior Gael forward Chavaughn Lewis knocked down 26 points in Jan. 28 in Manhasset.

The setting and atmosphere were different Tuesday evening, but Lewis’s 27 point contribution led to similar results in St. Mary’s 72-60 win over the Flyers in the .

The Flyers (17-6, 8-4) were coming off a healthy Friday afternoon. The Gaels (22-0, 11-0) were undefeated.

The last time the two behemoths met, the Flyers didn’t get a chance to spread their wings. They managed to take flight in their most recent outing against St. Mary’s, but the Gaels took a page out of Chaminade’s playbook and reached higher altitude.

There have been many occasions where the Flyers seemingly teleport the ball to one another and then into the hoop before watching eyes can catch up. 

Chaminade senior guards Kevin Sheehy and Matthew Gonyon were having trouble delivering from behind the arc, but Sheehy and company adapted by switching to their teleportation offense.

Forward Luke Colombo’s three-pointer off a pass from Sheehy at 6:34 in the first quarter to put the Flyers up 4-3 was the first of several such plays. Sheehy also dished the rock to senior center Rich Zoller at 2:11 in the first leading to a signature dunk from the 6’8” center and a 15-12 Chaminade lead.

The Flyers certainly looked to be in their comfort zone. However, so did St. Mary’s.

With 1:14 left in the first, senior Justin Bailey’s alley-oop to Lewis bore a striking resemblance to Chaminade’s offensive style. A pass inside from senior guard Dante Agnew to Lewis at the 38 second mark furthered the comparison.

Zoller started the Flyers strong in the second, hammering down six points in the first three minutes and senior forward James McCaffrey adding two, but the fouls piled up. At the 4:03 mark, the tide changed permanently.

Sheehy had just drawn a foul in the paint and hit both free throws for a 25-22 Flyer lead. St. Mary’s senior center Charles McCann responded with a post-up and one, Chaminade’s eighth foul of the half. McCann drained the free throw and the Gaels took the ball right back after Sheehy missed a three. Bailey took the reigns with an inside bucket while Chaminade fouled Lewis. The senior was 1-2 from the line at that point, but was about to go on a tear. 

He hit two foul shots, adding two more with 2:03 left in the half. Junior guard Wilson Molina helped by sinking a trey and a lay-up and Lewis himself scored again to give the Gaels a 38-27 halftime lead.

“We played better than we did the first game,” Chaminade Head Coach Jim Quinn said after the game, “but the last four minutes of the first half hurt us.”

Fouls continued to hinder Chaminade for the remainder of the game. St. Mary’s earned a boastful 22 points from the line throughout the evening, including Lewis going 12-14.

The Gaels managed to put the kibosh on Chaminade’s offense in the third. Baskets that the Flyers have netted with ease were thwarted thanks to St. Mary’s tight yet careful defense.

At the 6:10 mark a Sheehy lay-up attempt off a Zoller pass did not fall. Another popped up at the 2:23 mark when McCaffrey’s fast break drive off John Gallego’s pass was blocked.

“The game plan was to slow them down and keep them from running their sets,” St. Mary’s Head Coach Bill Harkins said after the game. “I think we did a good job with full-court pressure. Our half-court pressure was anxious at times, but once we were able to focus on containing, we were alright.”

The Flyers pulled off a mini-rally in the fourth but against a consistent St. Mary’s offense the hole was too deep to fill.

“They are a good team and we couldn’t afford to let up against them for four whole minutes,” Quinn said referring to the second quarter. “Four minutes was all the time they needed.”

Chaminade will begin their playoff run the NSCHSAA .