Sister Duos Lighting Up the Court

Nothing quite competes with the natural chemistry of sibling duos on the court. It's impressive to see the innate sense of knowing the timing of a basket cut or that slight signal for a screen. That kind of magic is rarely duplicated outside of a bloodline. Let's look at some sister sets bringing fire to the floor in Southern Indiana.    You don't want to be caught in a trap with Jamila and her freshman sister Jimena. While one attacks the ball, the other has the height and jumps to take away the in-the-air pass. Their court chemistry doesn't stop on defense. Jamila consistently hits the boards hard and finds Jimena on the fast break. A long and lean strong forward, Jamila is a standout rebounder and blocker on the team. The sophomore finishes well through contact at the rim. She has good timing on the pick and roll and uses her height to intercept passes well.     Jimena is a natural point guard with court vision and playmaking. As a freshman, she is learning from Junior PG Jada Kempf but showing she can handle her own. She's quick on the dribble with decent handles. Jimena also has a nice drive and hook pass. Her shooting has improved over the season. Utilizing her speed, Jimena has no problem getting through traffic and to the rim. Now let's talk about her lockdown defense. She is extremely disruptive with her on-ball D. An aggressive and unrelenting defender, she's one many struggle to get off their back. She's averaging 7 points, just under 3 assists and 3 steals a game. This is one to watch over the next few years.     The Smith twins are fierce sister competitors. The seniors at Eastern transferred as sophomores from Providence to Eastern. Let's start with PG/SG Addie Smith. Addie is something to watch. She has a strong drive to the rim, moves side to side with ease and weaves in and out of traffic well. She's averaging 13 PPG and 4 assists. She can run the 1 or 2 position. Her basketball IQ helps her read the defense prompting her to know when to drive and dish or to pull up for her own mid-range jumper. Addie is hard to stop once she's got the bucket in her sights as her strength is on full display. She finishes with power and accuracy. Think that's all? No way, she consistently drains the 3 ball. She tied Eastern's record for 3 pointers made in a single game with 7 makes earlier this season.     Avery was hurt for about half of the school season with a foot injury but is finally back in action for Eastern. At 5'8” with a strong build, she plays like a true small forward. Avery is a powerful slasher and strong on the offensive glass, setting up teammates for the fast break. She has strong outlet passes and can finish in the post. Another huge strength is her basketball IQ, knowing how to play off the ball and anticipating as a defender. I'm fascinated by how she gets to the ball immediately after her sister Addie's shot. That's some true twin intuition!     The Nussbaum sisters are leading the charge at Southwestern High School. Mikayla and Savannah are triplets with their brother Andrew, also a baller for the boys' team. Mikayla is the team's leading scorer this season averaging 11 PPG. She's an effective shooting guard but also knows the timing of setting up a teammate for an open look. When it's her time to strike, you can find her taking a shifty drive or pull-up from behind the arc. She has nice length and is a real offensive weapon. Don't count out her defense. She's also averaging two steals a game and her hustle is felt from the sidelines. Let's throw the ball to her sister.     Savannah is Southwestern's second leading scorer. She consistently contributes buckets but I was more impressed by her rebounding and tenacious defense. Forcing turnovers or getting the steal is the name of her game averaging 4.6 steals this season. Her effectiveness for her team doesn't stop there. She's a beast on the boards at just 5.6", putting up an average of 8 rebounds a game. She's had three double doubles so far this season and I got to see one of those against Rising Sun where she tallied 10 points and 10 rebounds. Savannah is scrappy with a motor that doesn't quit. She has active hands and feet. With a few years left of high school ball, the sky is the limit for the Nussbaum duo.

Nothing quite competes with the natural chemistry of sibling duos on the court. It's impressive to see the innate sense of knowing the timing of a basket cut or that slight signal for a screen. That kind of magic is rarely duplicated outside of a bloodline. Let's look at some sister sets bringing fire to the floor in Southern Indiana.