Chaminade's team concept on full display in 15th straight victory
Gregory Cantwell scored 13 points to help Chaminade past St. Dominic in a CHSAA boys basketball game on Saturday, Feb. 3, 2022. Credit: Peter Frutkoff
Scoring doesn’t depend on one shining star. The ball moves. It often rains threes. And the team seems to be at its finest across the final eight minutes.
This is Chaminade basketball, 2021-22. It was all on display on the Flyers’ floor in Saturday’s CHSAA matinee. They beat St. Dominic, 81-54 — their 15th straight win.
They’re now 18-2 overall and 8-0 in the league.
"We have high expectations for us, high goals," senior guard Greg Cantwell said. "We’ve had them since the summer. We’ve been bonding, preparing together. Our expectation, our goal, is to win a state [Federation] championship, first time ever at Chaminade."
"I think it’s very realistic," junior guard Dave DeBusschere said. "Obviously, we’ve got to take it one game at a time … We know we have that goal, and every day we’re just trying to get better to try to reach that goal."
This win came with 12 threes, including three apiece from DeBusschere, Deepuk Edmonds and Joe Knaus. DeBusschere paced the Flyers with 17 points. Cantwell added 13. Then came Edmonds with 10, Knaus with nine and Antoni Vlogianitis with eight.
"We’re averaging almost 10 a game from three," coach Dan Feeney said. "We’ve had games this year with 30 assists … We’re not made with one guy. They hear a quote from me probably too much: ‘Different dudes, different days.’ "
Four different dudes combined for six Chaminade threes in the first quarter. It was tied at 8 before the Flyers took off on quarter-closing, 16-3 run. Mac Kelly beat the buzzer with a three to make it 24-11.
The lead soon hit 16 and stood at 39-29 at halftime.
The Bayhawks (8-7, 3-4), who were topped by Kyle Marshall’s 16 points, cut it to 45-40 in the third.
Feeney went to a 1-3-1 zone. Chaminade took off again. Knaus nailed a three late in the quarter and Cantwell beat the buzzer with a layup, and it was 55-42.
DeBusschere then made three layups in a 12-4 burst to open the fourth.
"Our fourth quarters have been our best quarters," Feeney said.
The margin reached as high as 29.
"Every possession matters against a team like that, offensively and defensively," St. Dominic coach Mike Kelly said. "We knew we’d have to chip away. They went on a run. They’re a tough team."
