EASTON – Standing at odds on the basketball court no longer, the Derba sisters have big plans for the Oliver Ames High girls basketball team.
There was once a stage in her basketball life that a fifth-grade Kaydance Derba didn’t want her younger sister, Kamryn, a third-grader at the time, to suit up for her AAU team.
“I can vividly remember (it),” Kamryn Derba said with a smile. “She would always yell at me when I’d play with her.”
“I said, ‘Absolutely not. I am not playing with my sister,'” Kaydance said.
In the years since, the sisters have earned some impressive accolades on the high school hardwood in their own rights: a state title for Kaydance in 2022, and an All-Scholastic first impression for Kamryn in her freshman season last winter.
It’s now time for the sisters to unite – like it or not – for one last memorable go-around as Kaydance now stands as one of the Tigers’ senior captains. With all past differences behind them, the two sisters aren’t shy in gushing about each other’s games.
“Now that we get to play together in high school, it’s the best thing I could’ve ever asked for,” Kaydance said. “I think we needed our time to grow as players individually, but now, it’s perfect. … It means everything to me. Kamryn’s my best friend. We spend every minute together every day. I wouldn’t want to be on varsity with anyone else. I’m so happy I get to spend my final season of basketball with her.”
As two of the Tigers’ starters, Kaydance patrols the paint with help from senior Sarah Hilliard. Kamryn, a sophomore, commands the backcourt alongside fellow sophomore returning All-Scholastic, Avery Gamble. OA (3-2) has dropped two straight games to Walpole and Medfield in the Rivard Holiday Tournament to spoil the team’s 3-0 start.
The Derba sisters finished with 10 points apiece in Thursday’s tournament consolation game against Medfield, and Kamryn was named to the all-tournament team.
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“I think Kam, the last two days, is starting to hit shots like she’s been hitting them in practice,” first-year head coach Brian Costello said. “And Kaydance has done some different things for us than what she’s been asked (to do) in the past. She’s playing in the front court now, she’s rebounding, pushing the ball for us. The ability of them to play together is big for us. That dynamic is helping, and it’s just going to get better as the year goes on.”
Kaydance was a sophomore starter on the team that gifted longtime coach Laney Clement-Holbrook her third state title at the school. She tallied six points in a thrilling Final Four win over Medfield (62-59 win) and chipped in two assists, two blocks and a steal in the final vs. Norwood (53-48 win).
“I was in the stands,” Kamryn Derba said. “The game against Medfield was by far my favorite game to watch.”
Getting back there together is the next goal.
“I think that Kamryn, Avery Gamble and Maeve Horsman, them being the sophomores, it kind of reminds me of me, Sarah Hilliard and Jasmyn Cooper being the sophomores our state championship year,” Kaydance said. “Looking at Kamryn, it’s like looking at a younger version of myself. I see such a bright future for this team, the same way I did my sophomore year.”
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Kamryn made The Enterprise’s All-Scholastic second team last winter, averaging 12.4 points per game for the Tigers, who suffered elimination in the first round of the Division 2 tournament as the No. 18 seed to end an 11-10 campaign.
“She has a very strong work ethic,” Kaydance said of her younger sister. “If she keeps pushing every day like she’s done the past few years, she’ll be a high Division 1 player. I think she’s going to be very successful. I’m really, really proud of her.”
“I think we’ve grown to literally be the same person in different bodies,” Kamyrn said. “Next year is going to be a lot different, but this season playing with her, it’s the best thing I could ask for.”
