WEST CALDWELL- Tea Fiore embraces her role as a senior leader and is steadfast about what’s most important in this season where her Caldwell team is a legitimate contender to win an Essex County Tournament championship and likely to garner the top seed when the field of teams for that 2026 event is assembled next Monday night (Jan. 26).
Plus, both a Super Essex Conference-American Division title and a Group 2 state crown are also legitimate goals for a talented and chemistry-laden Chiefs squad.
Those team goals remain paramount for the veteran Caldwell standout. And while she continues to display her trademark exuberance on the court while urging a teammate on, grabbing a rebound, passing for an assist, or hitting her own shot from the perimeter or in the lane, it’s still the idea of ‘team’ which prompts the wide eyes and biggest smile.
There was a moment in the final minute of the third quarter in Tuesday afternoon’s home contest vs. neighboring rival Mount St. Dominic when Fiore pointed up in the air briefly after hitting a long 3-pointer to give the Chiefs a resounding 40-18 lead.
It was obvious that she could ‘feel it’ as they describe the groove that shooters can enjoy getting in when they find the right rhythm on their shots and the Caldwell senior proceeded to hit two more 3’s and score 10 fourth quarter points to close out a splendid performance, and a landmark one at that in a commanding 56-27 Chiefs victory.
It was her fourth ‘Tri-fecta’ of the game, with 2:21 remaining, which also provided a historical moment in a superb 4-year career as it was also her 1,000-point.
There was a brief stoppage in play to commemorate what is certainly a noteworthy achievement for any high school basketball player, plus a large group of family, friends and teammates also gathered for a post-game photo.
It was Fiore’s deserving moment in the spotlight after finishing another superb performance in a brilliant scholastic career with a game-high 24 points as 10th-ranked Caldwell (11-0, 5-0) remained undefeated in its first of two conference meetings this season with the Mount Lions (8-6, 1-4).
And, while Fiore enjoyed all that surrounds the special individual achievement as she joined junior teammate Addy Keenan as the Chiefs’ second 1,000-point scorer this season, she also was quick to return to talking about the task at hand for her team as the days and weeks roll on into February and March.
“It’s so great to have my family and friends here to share this moment with me,” said Fiore. “But, beyond this very nice individual milestone is what’s most important for me which is continuing to help my team in our quest to be conference, county and (Group 2) state champions.
“I love this team so much and all our players and coaches are dedicated and determined to keep working hard every day while never looking past any opponent because that strong focus has to be there each and ever day in order to achieve the goals we have this season.
“We’ve had a great recent run here at home with wins last week over West Orange and Arts, and we made sure to stay focused in taking on the Mount today, but we also know there are so many big challenges still ahead and we’ll look to be ready to compete at a high level in every one of those games.”
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