When Chaminade needed a spark, Michael Wede delivered it from deep.

After falling behind 13 early to St. Mary’s, Wede caught fire in the second and third quarters, knocking down six three-pointers to help the Flyers erase the deficit and seize control.

Wede finished with 28 points as Chaminade defeated St. Mary’s, 67-61, at the CHSAA League Tipoff Showcase at Chaminade on Saturday.

“It’s all about my teammates,” said Wede, a senior. “They knew I was hitting shots and they were finding me today. I was trusting them, and everyone was sharing the ball and doing their part. It’s great we can rely on so many guys.”

Three-point shooting proved to be the difference for Chaminade (4-2). The Flyers connected on 13 shots from beyond the arc, including eight in the second half.

“It’s our bread and butter on the offensive end,” Chaminade coach Dan Feeney said. “Not just making them, but creating for other guys. It’s about the volume of work these guys put in, and our whole team can make shots. We’re looking to get better at it.”

The final game of the showcase lived up to the billing. A revamped St. Mary’s team came out fast, erupting to a 16-3 lead in the opening quarter. Justin Mompoint scored seven of his 28 points in the first.

“The defensive intensity was great and the focus was great,” first-year St. Mary’s coach Paul Tricarico said. “But those guys ended up heating up, they hit some big outside shots and they were contested.”

Wede’s first run changed the tone. With Chaminade trailing 18-12, he buried three shots from downtown to ignite a 13-2 run. The Flyers took a 25-23 lead into halftime.

“It was just a flow state,” Wede said. “I wasn’t really thinking. I was letting it go, and it was going in.”

In the third quarter, Wede kept the momentum going, scoring 13 points, and Kyle Dillon chipped in seven as Chaminade built a 53-43 advantage after three quarters.

St. Mary’s (0-3) responded with urgency in the fourth quarter, opening on a 10-0 run to tie the score with 4:15 remaining.

Chaminade answered with a decisive 10-2 run of its own, capped by a three-pointer from Jake Ellwood as the gym erupted, to pull ahead 63-55 with under a minute left and seal the win.

“I’m happy we’re on the right path,” Feeney said. “But we want to be good at the end of February and March. It’s a nice step in that direction, but we’re far from the finished product.”

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