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Dec. 20--Aside from one inch, a thin black knee band and some hot fudge on top of ice cream, Southern juniors Heather and Kim Schneck -- 16-year-old twin sisters and standouts on the Bulldogs' basketball team -- both say they are just about one and the same.
Their goal this season: a return trip to the Class 2A state tournament and hopefully more.
After helping Southern reach the state semifinals last season, Heather, a first-team All-County selection, and Kim, a second-team choice, have expanded roles in their third varsity seasons this winter.
Heather, who at 5 feet 10 is an inch taller than her sister, as well as 11 minutes older, can play every position, but is seeing more time inside after the Bulldogs graduated two post players. Kim likes to score from the perimeter, but can also get to the basket when defenders play up tight.
Last season, they combined to score 25 points, grab eight-plus rebounds and dish out just below five assists in helping the Bulldogs to a 16-7 mark. The best part for both is playing together.
"The biggest reward is just having fun, and it would be different without her," Kim said. "We know each other so well -- know each other's strengths and weaknesses -- and it's nice just having my best friend on the team. I can always turn to her."
That's how it's always been with the sisters, who grew up playing basketball, soccer and softball. Both enjoy math, with each maintaining better than 4.0 grade point averages and having just about the same likes and dislikes.
Music? Same.
Movies? Same.
Television? Same.
Food?
"I like chocolate more than she does," Heather said. "I'll put hot fudge on ice cream, but she doesn't like that."
Something that caught their father, Tom, by surprise took place a few weeks back when Heather went with friends to the Bulldogs' football playoff game, while Kim decided to stay home.
"That's the first time in their lifetime that I know of that they did not do something together. That's how close they've been," he said. "We know other twins and a lot of them are different, a lot of them may argue with each other and don't have anything in common. But Heather and Kimberly are like tied together."
Over the years, any arguments have been limited and laughed off minutes later, and Kim recalls one altercation in middle school when the two fought over a math book. "She kicked my butt," Kim said jokingly.
Identifying the twins during games is easy enough with Heather sporting No. 34 on her back while Kim wears No. 32. Practice can be a little tougher for Southern coach Linda Kilpatrick, who looks for Heather's knee band to tell the two apart.
"They definitely have that twin connection you hear people talk about," Kilpatrick said. "Kim will take off and I'm watching Heather, thinking, 'Where is she throwing the ball?' And I look and there's Kim. It will be some pass you would never expect, but she just knows Kim is there."
Not surprisingly, with their strong academics and the chance of earning a basketball scholarship, the two would like to attend college together. They know, however, there will be a time at some point when they won't always be together.
"I know when we get older, we'll have to find our own identities more," Heather said. "So if we have to do something different now, we try to welcome it because it will be harder when we're older."
glenn.graham@baltsun.com
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Copyright (c) 2006, The Baltimore Sun
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