Sisters in Spirit

Not often have you been able to find Keelie Lawler or Allison Kirby on the opposite side of each other on a basketball court.

Sure, there’s been a few times when that happened.

Kind of like seeing Bigfoot running around the hills in Spirit Lake.

“We’ve played together since the second grade,” said Lawler, a 5-foot-8 junior post. “We’ve probably played in hundreds of games together. From AAU to Hoopfest, Parks and Rec and now high school and junior high, we’ve played a lot of basketball together.”

And you can’t argue with the results — at least at the high school level — as the Tigers are 53-14 since they joined the varsity program as freshmen, with two trips — so far — to the state 3A championship game.

“In AAU, sometimes she or I wasn’t there, but not often,” said Kirby, a 5-foot-7 junior point guard. “We were really, really young when we started playing together and didn’t really get to know each other at first. But we really haven’t played without each other. Playing with her, at least as long as we have, you kind of get used to what their normal instincts are and get used to that on the court. You know where they’re going to be at all times, and can throw the ball to them and they’ll catch it. Or you can take a shot, and know what they’re going to do.”

“We’ve got a very keen sense of where each other is going to be on the court,” Lawler said of Kirby. “We read each other really well and she’s a great player. She’s very fun to play with and she understands the game really well. So I can feed off her as well and it’s just fun to play on the same team as her.”

The two also play on the Timberlake girls soccer team, which finished 18-1-1 and third in the state 3A tournament last fall.

“I love it,” said Kirby of playing soccer. “It used to be my favorite sport. In junior high, I used to think I’d go to college and play that. But I realized a little later on that basketball was more of my sport.”

Lawler — who was the Tigers goalkeeper this year — credits soccer for her improved footwork on the basketball court.

“I really think playing soccer helped,” Lawler said. “It really helped my agility and quickness. I got a chance to work on my reaction time and it really has helped me a lot. I’ve played soccer since I was 3 years old. I hadn’t played in a few years, so I decided to come back to it. I decided to be a goalie and really enjoyed it. I find a lot of similarities to being a basketball player and being a goalie.”

Lawler is also a thrower on the school’s track and field team, and Kirby is a jumper and sprinter.

“I don’t really believe in specializing in just one sport,” Lawler said. “I think it would be easy to get burnt out focusing on one year-round. And I think being a more diverse athlete is better for your overall health.”

In basketball, Kirby and Lawler are both two-time All-Idaho selections. Lawler is a two-time first-team all-state pick; Kirby was a second-team selection as a freshman, and a first-time pick as a sophomore.

Both have been named to the all-Intermountain League team the past two seasons; Kirby was the league MVP as a sophomore.

In soccer, Kirby is a three-time all-IML selection, and was named the league MVP last fall.

Both are also part of the North Idaho Elite girls basketball team, which claimed an elite division national championship at the MidSummer Nights tournament in San Diego.

“They’re amazing to play with and such great players,” Lawler said. “It helps me develop my game and know that when I get to the key, to use my shot fakes because they’re big posts that we face. I know that I need to get a better first step and being quicker has really helped my game grow.”

“It’s a huge advantage for them to get to play high level basketball year-round,” Timberlake girls basketball coach Matt Miller said. “It’s a big-time separator and a huge advantage to get to play against top-notch competition. They’ll just continue to get better and better if they do that.”

But it’s not just Lawler and Kirby steering the Timberlake ship this season. It’s a rotation of 13 players that have bought into what Miller had preached all season, playing as a team.

“Both Keelie and Allison are great kids and really good players,” Miller said. “They’re both high character kids and that makes everything nice. They’re both really good students as well, and that’s a big thing. Good students and good athletes make my job a lot easier. The whole team has bought into that team-first mentality, and everyone knew they were going to have to sacrifice with playing time, with less minutes and stats. But both of them, and everyone, seem to put team wins as a top priority and hopefully we can continue that.

“Our team is definitely something special this year,” Kirby said. “They’re one in a million. I feel like we’re so close and like a family, and it’s really cool. We’ve got a lot of talent on the team this year and the girls are all great. They’re all really nice, caring and great to be around. It’s been a good year.”

“I think it helps us because we know that just one person is going to hold the team on their back,” Lawler said. “We know that everyone has each other’s back. We’re all just going to play together and each player contributes in their own way. And that’s what makes us so tough to beat. We’re a well-rounded team.”

Timberlake has allowed over 50 points in a game just four times this season — against 5A Lewiston, 1A Division I Lapwai twice and 4A Sandpoint. All four qualified for state in 2015.

“We just go do whatever we’ve got to do to win,” Kirby said. “Whatever that is. Definitely defense is our emphasis because that can win it for us. Even if you’re shooting poorly, you can still win the game with great defense. In that aspect, defense is one of the most important things, but we’ve still got to score the ball to win.

Lawler, who missed time last year due to injuries — even during last year’s state title game — has been injury-free thus far, with a little extra work during the offseason.

“I’ve been in the weight room a lot more this year and a lot stronger than I was last year,” Lawler said. “I think it helps a lot to avoid injuries and stuff like that.”

“She’s really been self-motivated,” said Miller of Lawler. “She’s missed some games and really wants to play the last two seasons and has missed out on a lot of games. She’s committed herself to getting stronger and that definitely helps. It’s mostly been her and she’s motivated to stay on the court.”

With a third-straight Intermountain League championship and the top seed to the 3A District 1 tournament — which begins on Feb. 8 at North Idaho College — already locked up, they’ll close out the season by play at Bonners Ferry tonight, then finish the regular season against visiting Lakeland on Thursday.

“Coach Miller had that talk with us this season about sacrificing things for the team,” Lawler said. “We’ve got 13 really good players on this team and we’ve got to change things up about the way we play. We do a rotation where we’ve got five players that come in at a time, so we’ve got to share minutes. That kind of contributes to the points thing, but for me, it’s all about getting the W. I could have zero points and as long as we get the win, I’ll be elated.”

The team’s only loss — a 54-52 setback at Lewiston — was a learning experience for sure.

“We were missing four players when we played them,” Miller said. “It’s been good to see everyone contributing and not worrying about the small stuff.”

Since then, they’ve won 16 straight.

“We’re all so close and just do everything together,” Lawler said. “The style of basketball we play, everyone gets to contribute.”

In a 62-35 nonleague win over the 4A Moscow Bears last Thursday in Spirit Lake, Timberlake had 11 different players score — and nobody finished in double figures.

“Every single person scored a point,” Lawler said. “We just like to play together and be together. We had a fun time together on the court.”

As far as the future, both Lawler and Kirby are keeping an open mind on playing, as well as careers down the road.

“I’m thinking about going into engineering,” Lawler said. “I’m looking at biomedical engineering or something to do with the human body, but maybe working with prosthetics as well.”

Kirby has the same thing in mind, of sorts.

“I want to become a personal trainer,” Kirby said. “Or something in athletic training. I want to help people build muscle and prevent injuries.

And as for playing?

“It’s hard to say right now,” Lawler said. “There’s a pretty slim chance that Alison and I end up at the same school together and playing basketball. But we’ll see what the future entails.”

“I’m going to play somewhere, but I’m not really sure yet,” Kirby said.

Now it’s about getting that elusive championship after Timberlake finished second in the state tournament in 2011, 2012, 2014 and 2015, all under Miller.

“He’s the same guy and coach that he was when we started as freshmen,” Kirby said. “He’s great and super funny. We’ve got a very comical team and make jokes a lot during practice. He’s one of the best coaches I’ve ever had because he cares so much about this team, and has put so much time and energy into the program. We just talk about what we need to work on and just be the best team we can be and keep working to accomplish that goal.”

And likely, laughing and loving every step along the way.