MIXING IT UP : Thomas, Derby Complement Each Other on the Court, But Have Fought on the Bus

NORTH HOLLYWOOD — Tashean Thomas and Markia Derby give the North Hollywood High girls’ basketball team one of the best guard tandems in the region. They play so well together their communication can appear almost telepathic.

“I can’t really explain it,” Thomas said. “It’s like me and Markia are one. When she looks at me on the court, I know she wants the ball so I try to get it to her as soon as I can.”

Usually, that’s a good idea.

Thomas and Derby, both seniors, each average more than 18 points, ranking in the top three among the region’s City Section scorers. Both play with instincts and a style that complements the other.

Which is not to say one is prone to compliment the other.

Thomas and Derby are not the best of friends. Last season, they each were suspended for one game after they scuffled on the team bus.

Coach Rich Allen said the altercation started with a group of players exchanging barbs. Then the joking turned serious. Thomas sided with her sister, Derby with her cousin.

“It had nothing to do with basketball,” Allen said. “They were both embarrassed.”

Thomas and Derby were suspended from school for one day and benched for a game against Canoga Park. Two days later, North Hollywood lost to Grant, ending the Huskies’ 51-game winning streak in Valley Pac-8 Conference play.

“The team was under a little tension and you could see we weren’t there that day,” Allen said.

Thomas and Derby exchanged apologies almost immediately, Allen said. As the Huskies prepare to play Grant on Friday in a game that will determine the Mid-Valley League title, neither player was interested in revisiting the conflict.

Thomas said the incident was a “misunderstanding” that got “out of hand.”

Although they are not close off the court, Thomas and Derby know their teammates are relying on them to lead North Hollywood deep into the City playoffs. After all, they have led the Huskies in scoring for the last three seasons.

Thomas is like a human dart, racing around the court in almost reckless abandon, reaching for a steal, driving and passing to an open teammate, or pulling up for a three-pointer. She reacts almost without thinking.

“Sometimes she does look a little out of control and almost uncoached,” Allen said. “But I don’t want to take her instincts away. You get some good, and you have to take the bad.”

Said Thomas: “Some people say I look really mean when I play, but it’s like I want it so bad, that’s how I express it.”

While Thomas is the team’s navigator at point guard, Derby is the driver who can play any position from shooting guard to center. Give Derby an inch and she’ll drive to the basket without hesitation.

“Every time,” Derby said. “And I usually make ‘em too.”

The combination of Thomas’ outside shooting and Derby’s aggressive drives makes North Hollywood (18-5, 8-0 in Mid-Valley League), ranked No. 6 in the region by The Times, difficult to defend.

But it took time for their talents to mesh.

“As a ninth- and maybe 10th-grader, [Thomas] was . . . out of control,” Allen said. “And we sat her down a lot. She did not understand why she couldn’t play at the same pace all the time.”

It’s no surprise Thomas was undisciplined as a freshman. She started playing basketball only a year earlier and was still learning the game.

As sophomores, Derby had an immediate impact on Thomas and the Huskies after transferring from North Carolina.

“As soon as Markia came into school, you could see the chemistry take off,” Allen said.

Since they joined forces, Derby and Thomas have been the top scorers for North Hollywood, combining for 26.5 points a game as sophomores and 26.8 as juniors.

Thomas has refined her game, increasing her scoring average by nearly seven points from last season to 20.3 points, second best to Jessica Cosby of Cleveland among City players in the region.

“Tashean is really hard to defend,” Coach Steve Blumwell of Grant said. “One minute she seems like she’s not involved, then she can explode.

“It is hard to contain her, especially with her three-point [shooting] ability.”

Derby scores most of her points in the lane and is averaging 18.1 points and 9.6 rebounds.

“She goes in spurts,” Allen said of Derby. “She’s consistent as far as the end result, but [her points] come in bunches. There’s quarters where [I ask myself], ‘Did she play?’ It’s like she’s not there.”

Thomas and Derby help North Hollywood win games, despite a relationship that isn’t about late-night phone conversations or grabbing a burger together at lunch.

“On the court, they’re a great combination,” Allen said.