Sister act
By JOSH MEYER, Sports Writer
POSTED: January 14, 2008
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After a state tournament appearance a year ago, the 10th-ranked (Class 2A) Cougars, who are off to a red-hot 11-1 start, feature a roster that includes four different sets of sisters — a situation that is quite unique.
‘‘I’ve coached a couple sets of sisters before, but never four,’’ said MNW head coach Wade Wubben. ‘‘It’s not just the fact that it’s four sets of sisters, but they’re all pretty good basketball players too.
‘‘Their families are all sports-oriented, and that helps.’’
Senior Kristen Twait and freshman Lauren Twait, junior Heather Condon and freshman Samantha Condon, sophomore Morgan Markert and freshman Ashley Markert, and sophomore Alyssa Miller and freshman Ashley Miller make up the Cougars’ sibling quartet.
Kristen Twait is the leading scorer of the bunch, averaging nearly 10 points per contest. Morgan Markert (5.4), Heather Condon (1.5), Lauren Twait (0.8), and Alyssa Miller (0.4) have all experienced varsity action this season as well, while Ashley Miller, Ashley Markert and Samantha Condon play on the junior varsity and freshmen teams.
‘‘I don’t know if there are really any advantages to it, other than the fact that we have a larger talent pool to draw from,’’ Wubben said. ‘‘The girls are staggered in ages, so if we lose one from a particular family, we still get to keep one.
‘‘We’ll have three of the four sets back again next year.’’
Despite the competitive natures of the sisters, they all seem to get along well both on and off the court.
‘‘I think they do a nice job of supporting each other,’’ said Wubben. ‘‘For the most part, they’re not directly competing with one other for playing time, so it’s not a negative in that way.
‘‘Last season Morgan backed up Jacque (another Markert sister), but she was OK with that.’’
Jacque is now a freshman on the Iowa Central women’s basketball team. The Markerts also have siblings on both the junior high and Parks and Recreation league teams, which makes for a very busy schedule around their household.
‘‘We just try to make as many games as we can,’’ said father Steve Markert. ‘‘My wife and I split up as much as possible and try to cover all the territory.
‘‘It’s a lot of fun to watch them all play.’’
One thing Wubben is concerned about with his ballclub is any type of illness.
‘‘I get nervous when one of the (the sisters) is sick,’’ Wubben said. ‘‘When that happens, you start waiting for the other shoe to drop, and that can be a problem.’’
Manson Northwest Webster, which is tied with Southeast Webster for the Twin Lakes Conference lead at the moment, hosts Southern Cal tonight. The Cougars defeated the No. 3 (1A) Eagles last Friday in Burnside, 59-47.
Contact Josh Meyer at (515) 573-2141, or by e-mail at sports@messengernews.net
