Colonia’s Taylor Derkack goes to the basket in the GMC Tournament final against St. Thomas Aquinas on February 16, 2024. (Photo: Mike Pavlichko)
When the Colonia girls’ basketball team lost in the GMC Tournament title game Friday night to St. Thomas Aquinas for the second straight year, just like any team that loses a big game, the question is how they will react their next time out.
The Patriots would have five days off before starting their quest for a state title as the No. 2 seed in the North Jersey, Section 2, Group 3 playoff section. And head coach Sandi Chiera felt good about her team early this week, getting back on the hardwood, sticking to the task at hand.
Then, the unthinkable, unfathomable happened.
Colonia boy’s assistant Danny Brix died suddenly on Wednesday afternoon. And while Colonia High School might seem large at first glance, it’s a tight-knit community. Word spread. Kids, teachers, coaches cried.
It was a reminder how small the game of basketball is, and yet, how it also can be used to heal.
The third-seeded boys’ opening game was moved to Friday night, but there there were in the bandbox gym Colonia calls home Thursday night cheering on the girls’ team. Trying to get some sense of normalcy.
In the end, the second-seeded Patriot girls won 53-14 over 15th-seed Belleville in a game that was hardly a game. Taylor Derkack had 19 points and 11 rebounds for her 16th straight double-double this season, and the program’s all-time leading scorer now has 2,010 career points.
But everyone’s mind was on Danny Brix.
Click below to hear Central Jersey Sports Radio’s Mike Pavlichko talk with Colonia head coach Sandi Chiera about the game, and a painful 24 hours for the Colonia community:
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