Tiffany Moore knows which button to push to get her younger sister, Taylor, going.

“She teases me about every little thing,” Taylor said.

“You should see her, she makes weird faces at her friends, it’s just weird,” responds Tiffany.

The sisters at St. Mary School spend a lot of time together, especially on the basketball court, where both are starters on the Eagles girls’ basketball team. Taylor, a sophomore, plays center for the 16-3 St. Mary team that faced Cherryland Conference co-champion Traverse City Christian last night in a Class D District semifinal game. The District final will be played in the Eagles’ home gym Friday at 7 p.m.
THE MOORE sisters from St. Mary – Taylor (left) and Tiffany.
Tiffany, meanwhile, has adjusted to her role as more of a floor leader and less of an offensive weapon.

The sisters have played American Athletic Union (AAU) basketball together for the last two years in the offseason, and at the YMCA as well. “They also play softball for St. Mary,” said St. Mary girls’ basketball coach Paula Korson.

While they occasionally get on each other’s nerves, as siblings tend to do, they form a natural partnership. “We always pair up for partner ball during practice,” Tiffany said.

Good-natured teasing is part of their relationship, said the Moores. The older sister, for instance, is annoyed by the younger one’s showering habits.

“She likes to take half-hour showers, the after-practice shower, and uses up all the hot water,” Tiffany said.

Taylor just smiles and reminds Tiffany she if she beat her to the shower first, she wouldn’t have that problem.

The Moore sisters offer different positive aspects in their game plays. Tiffany said her sister’s best performance came in the win Monday over Leland in the opening round of District play.

“She made a lot of her puppies (easy shots) and didn’t miss any lay-ups. She had a great game last (Monday) night,” she said.

Taylor said her sister’s best game was probably against Grand Traverse Academy on Feb. 16. She had 15 points and 6 rebounds in that game. “I also thought she did well last night (Monday) against Leland, even with all the walks,” Taylor said, eliciting an evil sideways glance from her older sister.

Korson said the sisters bring unique abilities and strengths to the team.

“Taylor has great floor sense. She knows how to get open and get into position to receive the ball and score,” Korson said.

Tiffany’s strengths, according to Korson, include her leadership ability. “Tiffany has a pretty good shooting percentage. She’s a leader on the floor and isn’t afraid to chase a ball out of bounds,” she said.

“She will talk to people out on the floor, make sure they’re in the right spot, or tell them where to go if there is a problem,” Taylor said.

“I’ve gotten a lot better about that. I’m not shy about talking out on the floor,” Tiffany said.

The sisters were not overlooking their next opponent, T-C Christian. “They are going to be tough and we can’t look past them” Tiffany said.

Tiffany and Taylor can easily point out each other’s faults, but are just as quick to point out the positives.

“When I’m having a bad day, Tiffany is the first to talk to me about what’s upsetting me or do something that makes me laugh or smile. Also, she will always take my side when I’m arguing with our parents,” Taylor said.

“I really admire the way Taylor puts herself out there. She is really open to people and does weird things and doesn’t care what people think about it. I would like to be more like that,” Tiffany said.

“Taylor and Tiffany are great teammates and sisters. I really enjoy having them on the team and just knowing them outside of school,” Coach Korson said.