Tandem of Chiera and Derkack Combine for 40 Points in 56-34 Victory
EDISON, NJ—History tends to repeat itself. History is also made. During the mid to late 1990s, Colonia boys basketball enjoyed a resurgence with players named Chiera and Derkack playing prominent roles. Today, Colonia girls basketball is making history with its best season ever, and once again players with names of Chiera and Derkack are leading the way.
The duo of junior Mattison Chiera and sophomore Taylor Derkack combined to score 40 points as 3rd seeded Colonia advanced to the 2022 GMCT Girls Semifinals with a 56-34 victory over 6th seeded Middlesex, a team that had reached the last two GMCT Final Fours as well as earned the top seed for the GMC Girls Championship Pod last season.
Chiera fired in four threes during the contest including several in the second half as she collected a game high 21 points along with 10 rebounds for a double-double, 4 assists, and 2 steals. Derkack chipped in with a double-double of her own with 19 points and 12 boards while also collecting 6 assists, 2 steals, and a block. Derkack also connected four times from long distance including three in the first 12 minutes of the game.
Also contributing was senior Francesca Rosario, who added 9 points and 3 steals. Rosario scored 6 of those points in the second half with a three pointer and a traditional three point play to help the Lady Patriots pull away from a 27-15 halftime lead. Kennedy Goncalves (5 points and 7 rebounds) and Isabel Gidado (2 points and 2 rebounds) also got into the scorebook. Sophomore Mya Patino also played and picked up 7 rebounds and 2 assists for the winners.
Leading the way in defeat for Middlesex was senior center, Madison Robel, who also had a double-double with a team high 13 points along with 12 rebounds. Robel also handed out 4 assists and 3 steals. Makenzie Marsh and Ashley Knuth also chipped in with 6 points each. Marsh, who scored all 6 of her points on two threes in the third period, also collected 2 blocks, 2 steals, and a rebound. Knuth added 2 rebounds and a steal.
Freshman Jessica Devine (3 points, 2 rebounds, 2 assists, and 2 steals), Neysa Aguilar (2 points, 3 rebounds, 3 steals, an assist, and a block), Kaylin Nepton (2 points, 3 rebounds, an assist, and a steal), and Jackie Deshields (2 points, a rebound, and an assist) also got into the scorebook for the Lady Jays.
Colonia had a 22-18 edge in points scored within the arc while Middlesex had a 10-7 edge in points scored from the line. However, one of the key differences in the game was three point shooting, where the Lady Patriots outscored the Lady Jays by a margin of 27-6 from beyond the arc. Colonia also had a decisive advantage in rebounds (38-24) and a 12-9 edge in assists.
Middlesex enjoyed a 3-1 edge in blocks and a 12-7 edge in steals. Colonia outscored Middlesex in every period, but the two most decisive periods were the first and third, where the Lady Patriots outscored the Lady Jays by a combined total of 38-20. Colonia started the game with a 17-7 first quarter as it scored 14 of the last 17 points including a jumper from the left baseline by Chiera as time ran out in the first.
Derkack, who helped Colonia jump out to an 8-4 lead over the first 3:35 of the game with a putback, and then added two threes to end the first, struck again with another triple for already 12 points in the game, and a 22-7 Lady Patriots’ lead at the 4:49 mark of 2nd. Middlesex tried to climb back into the contest by scoring 8 of the last 13 points of the 2nd including a score from Knuth that closed the gap to 27-15 at the break.
However, the Lady Jays were unable to get any closer. Colonia surged in the third as Chiera took over in the frame with three triples to spearhead an attack that increased the lead to 48-28 entering the fourth. Chiera then gave Colonia a 51-28 advantage with a three from the right wing at the 5:51 mark. Later, Chiera took a pass from Derkack down low on the right side for a layup to help wrap up the 56-34 victory.
With the win, Colonia improved its overall record to 22-2 including an unblemished 15-0 in conference play. The Lady Patriots move on to the GMCT Girls Final Four on Tuesday night in Monroe Township, where they will face 7th seeded South Brunswick in the first semifinal at 5:00 PM. Meanwhile, Middlesex dropped to 19-3 on the season including a 17-1 mark in the GMC, and will now get ready for the 2022 NJSIAA Central Jersey Group 2 playoffs next week.
DID YOU KNOW? Mattison Chiera is the daughter of former Colonia boys hoops standout Chris Chiera and current CTown girls hoops coach Sandi Chiera. Taylor Derkack is the younger sister of recent Colonia hoops standout, Jordan Derkack, and the daughter of former Colonia hoops standout Gene Derkack.
Jordan Derkack, who is playing post-graduate hoops at Spire Academy in Ohio, helped lead Colonia to the 2021 GMC Boys de-facto championship by defeating St. Thomas Aquinas in the Championship of the Karl Anthony Towns/Jay Williams Pod.
Gene Derkack, a 1,000 point scorer at Colonia and Chris Chiera were teammates as they helped lead the Patriots to back to back GMCT Final Four appearances in 1994 and 1995 as well as an NJSIAA Central Jersey Group 3 Championship in 1994.
In addition, Mattison’s uncle, Justin Chiera, who was the all time leading scorer at Colonia for three seasons with 1,620 points, helped lead the Patriots to several GMCT finals appearances in 1999, 2001, and 2002 as well as a GMCT Championship in 2001.
Taylor’s uncle, Justin Derkack was teammates with Justin Chiera on the 1999 Colonia Patriots team that lost to the Jay Williams led St. Joe’s Falcons in that year’s GMCT Final, and the two also combined to help lead the Pats past a Red Bank team led by current Ranney coach, Tahj Holden, and Rutgers standout, Sean Axani in the 1999 Central Jersey Group 3 semifinals.