The 2021-22 Colonia girls’ basketball team (submitted photo)
In just her third season in Colonia – though her ties go deeper than that – Sandi Chiera has transformed Patriots girls’ basketball.
At 18-2, with their only coming losses out of conference, Colonia is on the verge of sweeping the White Division, earning a title that has eluded the program since its inception.
The stellar season – which continues tonight when they face JFK, but likely will go deep into the Greater Middlesex Conference and state tournaments – was made possible by Chiera, a core group of seniors, and two younger players who lead the team in scoring and get a lot of attention, even if there should be plenty to go around.
Sophomore Taylor Derkack leads the team in scoring with 17.4 per game, nearly nine rebounds, and four-plus assists per game, not to mention a team-leading and whopping 88 steals. Junior Mattison Chiera – yes, the coach’s daughter – is averaging 16.4 points per game, and nearly seven rebounds, also leading the team with 42 treys.
All that has combined with great “D” – and seniors Kennedy Goncalves, Anaissa Ruiz and Francesca Rosario – to make Colonia the basketball program it is today: 18-2 with more greatness to come.
Click below for an audio story on Colonia’s 2021-22 season, and prospects for the future: