Lady Bears have a real sisterhood

CASTALIA — During Margaretta's Senior Night last month, there were two Lanes and two Schaefers on the floor at the same time for several minutes. That was by design. "I went up and asked (head coach Ray Neill) if it was possible and he said it was already part of the game plan," senior center Cassidy Lane said. Cassidy's freshman sister, Tessa, got to play with her big sister during that win against Eastwood. "It was fun but also a little sad, knowing she's gonna have to go and I won't be with her next season," Tessa said. "Playing with her makes me a better player." The Schaefer sisters — senior Ellyse and sophomore Ellaynah — also were on the court. Both start for the Polar Bears, who take a 26-1 record into Thursday's Division VI state semifinal against Canton Central Catholic at Wright State University in Dayton. "Young sisters want to be their old sister," Neill said. "I think every one of them would tell you their goal is to not be as good as their sister, it's to be better. That makes coaches better coaches." The Polar Bears' sisterhood is a real thing — literally. In addition to having two sets of sisters on the current roster, two varsity players have sisters — Jaelle Keller and Eden Palomo — who played on the 2023 final four team. Freshman Renna Keller made two free throws to give Margaretta a late four-point lead in last Saturday's regional final victory against Patrick Henry. Jaelle was in the stands. "I'm so proud of her. I can't tell you all the emotions running through my brain when she hit the free throws late. It was awesome," Jaelle said. "I wish it would've been at Elida because I have such great memories there, but Bluffton was cool, too." Jaelle helped Margaretta win a regional final in Elida three years ago. She was just as happy after the current Margaretta team accomplished the same feat. "I went up to her after the game and asked her what was going through her head. She hadn't played that much and had some huge free throws," Jaelle said. "I was expecting something thoughtful and she said, 'I'm gonna make them.' That's what I love about her. She doesn't overthink it, she just does it." Eden Palomo's little sister, sophomore Isla, is on the team this year but hasn't played due to her second knee injury in two seasons. Eden, of course, has some advice for her younger sister. "Just to keep her head up, especially since she hasn't gotten her shot yet," Eden said. "It's been back-to-back seasons (with injuries) for her. She needs to be ready to step up when it's her time. I know she can do it." Eden, who coached Margaretta's eighth-graders this season and attends the University of Toledo, knows how fun the trip to Dayton can be. "I'm so happy these girls get to go make their own memories, especially the younger siblings," she said. "They all saw their sisters go through it. They knew they had some big shoes to fill." Jaelle Keller also had some advice for the Polar Bears. "She was like, 'your adrenaline's gonna be crazy and the first quarter will feel like a whole game,' " Renna said. "You just gotta keep playing." Jaelle, whose final season playing basketball at Mount Vernon Nazarene in central Ohio was cut short this season after three games due to a knee injury, is not bashful about dishing out advice. After all, she does want to coach some day. "(Renna) probably thinks I'm in her ear a little too much," she said. "The biggest thing I tell her is to have confidence. Believe in yourself and the time you've put in. If you've prepared yourself to be there, you're gonna perform." The Margaretta little sisters have been toughened up by their older sisters. Maybe a little bullying was involved, but it comes from the right place. "We just have fun trash talking," Tessa said. "I'll try to cross her up and she just blocks the crap out of me and it almost turns into a boxing match." Cassidy, who is five inches taller than Tessa and will play collegiately for Gardner-Webb University, admits that she enjoys blocking Tessa's shots when they play 1 on 1. She also took great pride in taking the court with her sister on Senior Night. "She's a freshman and I'm a senior, so I'm trying to lead her on the right path for the future," Cassidy said. "It's really fun to be able to play with her. We had that opportunity on Senior Night." The two Schaefer girls both start for the Lady Bears, so naturally they butt heads on occasion. Ellyse, who leads the Bears with 59 3-pointers and earlier this season broke Eden Palomo's career program record, will play college ball for Southeastern University in Florida. She was asked if Ellaynah, the starting point guard, passes her the ball enough. "I yell at her when she doesn't," Ellyse said. "Everybody knows we argue the most on the court. Sometimes teammates have to step in a little bit. I think it's just because we're sisters and we're able to get on each other more than other people can. But it's all out of love and wanting to be the best we can." Earlier this week, a photo from three years ago popped up on Ellyse's social media. It was a photo of her and Ellaynah from the 2023 state tournament. Ellaynah, who was a seventh-grader at the time, came up to Ellyse's rib cage. "It was from my freshman year when we went to state," Ellyse sad. "She literally came up to right here on me and it was really cute because now she's taller than me and she's leading our team as the point guard to state. I'm super excited to be back there with her." The younger siblings don't back down to their big sisters, but they also respect them. "I wish I had that opportunity (to play with Eden) in high school," Isla said. "I really do look up to her and I don't tell her that much." Ellaynah Schaefer, who sat next to Isla Palomo in the stands at University of Dayton Arena when Margaretta played in the venue in 2023, is thankful to have her sister playing alongside her, and she takes constructive feedback for what it's worth. "We know it's to make each other better," she said. "We're sisters so we know what to say to get on each other's nerves, but it's all part of the game." Added Cassidy Lane: "It's the truth. It just happens. Like Ellyse said, it's all out of love."