By Kaelyn DiMartino ’25
The Derby girls’ basketball team started their season off a little rocky, but they have worked hard to improve their skills with every game they have played. They are small but mighty with only seven players on the team. They recently had a big win against the Kennedy Eagles on Jan. 29, 2025. The captains of the team are Emma Desanty ‘25, Jerlena Alexander ‘25, and Shea Gray ‘27. The head coach is David Chevarella, assisted by Heather Landolfi, Anna Chevarella, and Kailee Hyde.
The team’s first game was on Dec. 17 against Waterbury Career Academy (WCA) which was an unfortunate loss. They moved on to play Seymour which was a loss too, but the third time’s the charm. When they took to the court for their third game, they beat Emmett O’Brien Tech. This win was definitely a confidence booster for the girls as they continued their season. They have gone through nine losses, but had another win before they played the Kennedy Eagles.
The girls went into the game against Kennedy with strong and powerful vibes. They truly worked as a whole team that entire game. The first quarter was looking good as the Red Raiders were leading 17-9.
The second quarter was a little closer with the Red Raiders still winning 25-17. There was a lot of back-and-forth scoring in this quarter which made it intense, and it was extremely fun to watch. There were many takes to the hoop from end to end of the court which created a rush of energy from those in the crowd.
Halftime came and the girls on both teams got to relax for a couple of minutes, catching their breath. This is the time when the coaches come up with new game plans and motivate the girls to keep doing their best no matter what. The girls came back out from the locker room at the end of the half, energized and prepared for the third quarter.
The Derby girls extended their lead in the third to a 38-23 gap over the Eagles. Though getting by some of the defense played by the Eagles was a tough task, there were good openings made on the court, enabling various shots to be put up.
The defense that Kennedy was showing on the court didn’t stop Derby in the fourth, either. The Derby girls battled back and played their best defense, protecting their basket from the Eagles. This defense and the outstanding offense led the Derby girls to another win, 54-37! This isn’t the only excitement of the night, though.
Gray was named Jersey Mike’s Player of the Week and later had an outstanding performance, breaking the school record of baskets scored in a game, leaving her with a whopping 35 points! Gray shares, “It was great to be selected as one of the Jersey Mike’s Players of the Week. It’s very cool that Jersey Mike’s does that for athletes and it’s nice to be recognized.”
She also explains how she feels about breaking the school record: “It feels good! I’ve just been waiting for it to be official by my coach. I didn’t know how many points I scored until after the game, because I don’t keep track of that during games, but when it was over a couple of teachers congratulated me on breaking it, so I hoped they were right. I watched a film and saw that I did score 35 and beat the record by one point. I’m glad I was able to achieve it and I’m proud of my accomplishment.” Congratulations to Gray on all of her accomplishments this season so far!
David Chevarella highlighted Gray’s achievement, saying, “ I am happy for her. Anytime a player gets an individual accomplishment it helps get our program noticed. Most importantly her 35 points helped us get our third win of the season and first win in the league in five years.”
Chevarella has been coaching basketball for 32 years. According to Chevarella, he “was an assistant coach for the freshmen boy’s basketball for two years, then JV girl’s coach for two years, and head coach for the girl’s for the past 28 seasons.” He has been coaching for so long because he wants to help students learn the game of basketball and prepare them for life.
Beyond these big accomplishments, both Gray and Alexander previously were awarded with the “All-Tournament Team” player awards. They both put on an outstanding show during their winter tournament at the end of December. Congratulations to the girls on the season so far and each and every one of their accomplishments. Good luck with the rest of the season!
The Raider Press 