He was on the wing, driving toward the hoop.

He was in the paint, hauling in rebounds.

He was under the basket, slipping teammates passes for layups.

A junior guard for the CBC basketball team, everything was clicking for the Cadets and Binion was loving it.

“It’s like we’re outside in the back yard playing basketball together. It’s so fun,” Binion said. “We did this in the summer. We’ve been waiting on it and it didn’t come. Now it’s finally here and we’re back to it.”

CBC dug out of a 10-point halftime deficit to beat Metro Catholic Conference rival Chaminade 76-67 at the Athletictron on the campus of Chaminade.

CBC (12-9 overall, 3-2 league) has endured a rollercoaster of a winter. The reigning Class 6 champions, the Cadets opened the season with sky high expectations only to be dealt the harsh reality that last year’s team is gone and not coming back. It was on them to figure out how this winter would go.

The learning curve was steep, but if Friday is an example CBC has figured some things out.

“It’s huge,” CBC coach Justin Tatum said of Friday night’s win. “For us it helps our morale. We want to start getting good at this time (of year). We were 2-4 in January, we were like 4-4 in December. We wanted to start 1-0 in February. That was our goal.”

CBC has won its last four games against Chaminade and Friday’s victory was its first at the Athletictron since January 14, 2020.

The Cadets walked out victorious in large part to the tenacious play of senior guard Bobby Alford. The 6-foot-5 Alford came off the bench and played mainly around the basket on both ends. He scored 18 points, hauled in seven rebounds, made two steals and blocked a shot. Rebounding was huge for CBC as 6-foot-10 sophomore center Matt Michalski makes his way back into playing shape after being out sick recently. The Cadets had to win on the glass to get out in transition, and that’s exactly what they did.

“Those guys have been in practice, getting after each other and focusing on rebounds and they really stepped it up,” Tatum said.

Sophomore guard Terron Garrett came off the bench to score 16 points. Junior guard Anthony Gause had 13 points. Binion was masterful as he finished with a game-high 22 points, seven rebounds, five assists and three blocked shots.

“We were spreading the ball more in the second half,” Binion said. “Everybody was able to touch it. Everybody was able to get shots up.”

The No. 4 large school in the STLhighschoolsports.com rankings, Chaminade (14-7, 2-3) couldn’t corral CBC’s scorers in the second half. The Cadets got into the paint for close-range looks and shared the ball well. They also made their share of tough looks as their confidence grew as the second half wore on.

“We got away from our defensive principles. It’s really that simple,” Chaminade coach Frank Bennett said. “They capitalized on them.”

Chaminade has lost four games in a row but appeared primed to break out of its mid-winter swoon. The Red Devils trailed 12-11 at the end of the first quarter after Binion buried a long-range runner at the buzzer. But they quickly took the lead right back on a layup by sophomore guard Collin Perry at the start of the second quarter. They would only build on it as their defense helped spur their offense as the Red Devils outscored the Cadets 25-14 in the second quarter to take a 36-26 lead into halftime.

When Chaminade played its best the ball constantly moved to find a high-quality shot, be it near the basket or to an open shooter perched behind the arc.

Sophomore guard Collin Keller, freshman swingman Jamison White, senior guard Sam Piontek, senior guard Nilavan Daniels, senior guard BJ Ward and Perry all scored in the second quarter.

“When we’re patient offensively we get the shots we want and we’re pretty good,” Bennett said.

CBC opened the third quarter on fire. Michalski knocked down a pair of free throws to start a 12-0 Cadets run. Binion, Garrett and Alford were all prominently involved as CBC turned their 10-point deficit into a two-point lead.

“In the first half it was our communication. We weren’t talking off screens and stuff,” Alford said. “In the second half we picked it up and that’s how it all came together.”

CBC took a 50-46 lead into the fourth quarter and things quickly escalated as the Cadets cobbled together a 12-0 run. When Garrett dropped in a jumper with just more than five minutes to play in the game, CBC’s lead had grown to 62-46.

“That second half helped us out with our composure and guys stepped up,” Tatum said. “I’m really proud of how they handled that pressure and how they handled that adversity.”

A Southeast Missouri State recruit, Ward led Chaminade with 18 points and handed out seven assists. Perry made a huge impact in the first half when he scored most of his 16 points. He also had five rebounds and three assists. White came off the bench to score 14 points and haul in six rebounds.

Daniels has been the Red Devils’ offensive standout this season with a 20 points per game average. He was held to nine point but grabbed seven rebounds and handed out three assists.

“He’s a senior and he impacts winning in so many different ways,” Bennett said. “He doesn’t necessarily have to go for absurd numbers like he’s been doing this entire season.”

Chaminade’s four losses have come against strong competition in Cardinal Ritter, St. Louis U. High, Chicago Whitney Young and now CBC. The Red Devils have shown when they’re at their best they can hang with anyone. When they don’t they are mortal.

“When you get away from that on the offensive side, when you get away from your defensive principles on the defensive side, that’s what happens,” Bennett said. “It’s literally that simple. When we don’t the margin for error is fairly thin.”

CBC knows that margin all too well. The Cadets are hoping this win can springboard them into a successful final stretch. But chances are good they haven’t seen the last of the Red Devils. CBC and Chaminade are both in the same Class 6 district tournament. The next time they could see each other would be with the season on the line.

“It means a lot. It feels good. It was an amazing experience. I loved it,” Alford said of Friday’s win at Chaminade. “We have to stay consistent, take this win and keep going up.”