More News

Oakton sophomore Caroline Coyer can empathize with all of the Cougar girls basketball team's opponents this season. After years of playing one-on-one against twin sister Katherine, Caroline knows just how tough it is to score against her younger -- by three minutes -- sibling.

"[Katherine plays] tenacious defense," Caroline said. "I can't beat her one-on-one. No way. I don't know how to beat her. I don't know how anyone ever does."

Katherine has the size and quickness to guard any opposing player in any situation. That versatility paid off for Cougars coach Fred Priester last season, as Katherine was the first player off the bench and was able to play any spot on the court.

"Katherine had a really tough job last year," said Priester, who has a career record of 347-59 in 16 seasons at Oakton. "I asked her to play all five positions with the notion that she probably wasn't going to start much. She didn't, but she played the fourth-most minutes."

Katherine provides matchup problems for opposing teams, but as she can attest herself, playing against Caroline is no walk in the park, either. Just the third freshman to start at point guard in Priester's reign at Oakton, Caroline averaged 11.6 points, 4.3 rebounds, 4.6 assists and 2.1 steals per game last season, while hitting nearly 50 percent of her 3-point attempts (51-of-103).

"She has so many moves," Katherine said. "It's hard to know which move she's going to do. We're not that competitive, but in the moment when we're playing one-on-one, we are. We both want to win so bad."

The Coyers are hoping to use that competitive spirit to build on last season, when Oakton won its first 30 games, a team record, before falling in the Virginia AAA state championship game. Teamed with returning junior starter Zora Stephenson (12.7 ppg, 63 3-pointers made), the Coyers should help the Cougars once again have one of the most dangerous offensive attacks in the Northern Region.

In addition to scoring, Priester will also be looking for those three to take over leadership of the team after the departure of five seniors, including first team All-Region performer Erin McGartland.

"We have three quality players coming back with Zora and the twins," Priester said. "Right now, we're just trying to blend in some other people, and that's always a little tricky. When your best players are young, teaching them how to lead is a challenge. Getting them to be leaders in the proper way is really the challenge. This is more of a mental exercise than a physical exercise."

As they both demonstrated last season, however, the mental side of the game is no challenge for the Coyers.

"I think both of them absolutely understand the game beyond their years," Priester said. "They both can see things before they happen. When the two of them are on the court at the same time, they have that twin thing going. If you watch them long enough, you have to be impressed."

Having played together since the infancy of their basketball careers, the Coyer sisters often do seem to have a sixth sense about where the other will be on the court, or what they will be doing at a certain time.

"I guess it's a twin thing," Caroline said. "I always know what she's going to do, since I've played with her for so long. We could easily just run an offense between us. We know when we're going to back-door, anything like that."

"It gives me and Caroline an advantage just because we know each other so well," Katherine added. "I've played with her my whole life. I don't know what it would be like to not play with her."

That "twin thing" will be a key this season as the Cougars aim for their sixth straight Concorde District title and second straight region crown.

"They're definitely making their mark on the Oakton program and on the Northern Region," Priester said.

top talent: 25 key returning players in girls' basketball

-Lauren Burford, Fairfax, Sr.

-Phyllis Martin, Herndon, Sr.

-Samantha Partonen, Robinson, Sr.

-Megan Green, Robinson, Soph.

-Shelby Romine, Westfield, Sr.

-Zora Stephenson, Oakton, Jr.

-Caroline Coyer, Oakton, Soph.

-Katherine Coyer, Oakton, Soph.

-Audrey Dotson, Langley, Jr.

-Melissa Gallo, W.T. Woodson, Sr.

-Emily Fogg, W.T. Woodson, Sr.

-Erin Kavanagh, Madison, Sr.

-Caitlin Baker, McLean, Sr.

-Simone Antwi, South County, Jr.

-Myisha Goodwin, Edison, Sr.

-Tracy King, Mount Vernon, Sr.

-Jalinda Venable, Mount Vernon, Sr.

-Shante Waller, Washington-Lee, Sr.

-Myisha Goodwin, Edison, Sr.

-April Robinson, West Springfield, Soph.

-Logan Battle, West Springfield, Soph.

-Tamika Hamilton, Chantilly, Sr.

-Theresa Hackett, Marshall, Sr.

-Kristen Kody, Langley, Sr.

-Lindiwe Rennert, Yorktown, Sr.