In fact, several of the most successful local girls teams in recent history were led by sisters.

In 2012, Randolph lost in the state championship game, led by senior Marah Maycock and freshman Mckenna Maycock. Sophomore Alexis Terrette and eighth-grader Peyton Terrette were also on the roster.

Panama teams of the mid-2010s first had Taylor and Madalyn Bowen, then later Elle and Natalie Angeletti.

In 2022, Sherman took Paige and Teagan Gratto to the Capital Region.

Submitted Photo The Southwestern girls basketball team has several family connections with three Beaver sisters and their cousin Bella Sirianni all coached by Bella’s mother Kay Sirianni. Pictured with the NYSPHSAA Class B Far West Regional plaque, from left to right, are Charlotte Beaver, Bella Sirianni, Braya Beaver and Reece Beaver.

And last year, state-finalist Randolph had Kyra and Quinn Pence as two of its guards.

Similar stories surround the two local teams heading to this weekend’s New York State Public High School Athletic Association final four at Hudson Valley Community College in Troy.

Section VI Class C champion Frewsburg has two pairs of sisters on its team in junior Teghan Trocki and freshman Jadyn Trocki, as well as junior twins Taytum and Ava Jimerson.

Southwestern features a trio of sisters on its Class B championship squad in senior Reece Beaver, sophomore Braya Beaver and eighth-grader Charlotte Beaver.

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Brocton was nearly the first local team to ever experience the state final four back in 1989 when the Bulldogs were on the brink of the inaugural tournament.

Senior Carol Zirkle led John Murgatroyd’s team to the Class D Far West Regional against Section V champion Greenwood, but the Bulldogs were unable to get over the hump. Also on that team were sophomore Connie Zirkle and eighth-grader Sandy Zirkle, while sixth-grader Susie Zirkle was a manager.

“No matter who you are playing with, you are going to have good and bad times,” Susie said Tuesday evening. “The fact I was able to play with them was pretty neat.”

Four years later, after a run of three straight sectional titles and a pair of state championships from Pine Valley, Brocton was able to take down the Panthers. Brocton then beat Section V champion Red Jacket in the Far West Regional before falling to St. Johnsville in the state semifinals.

“You are all feeling the same loss. The tone in the family would be subdued when we lost, and we all felt it. Great competitors don’t like to lose so it’s not going to be something you want to keep feeling,” Sandy said Tuesday. “The sadness of big losses is something you’ve gone through together. You are sisters and teammates so that goes even deeper.”

That senior season capped an impressive career for Sandy, who finished with a school-record 1,437 points to go along with 746 rebounds, 496 assists and 380 steals.

“Growing up in a family of three sisters, we did a lot of the same sports and played together. It was just one of those things. We lived on a farm. We played out in the driveway shooting against the barn. We always played with each other and against each other,” Sandy said. “We called it ‘circle ball,’ no-blood, no-foul. Sisters can be the meanest. The aggressive nature that sisters can have against each other is what drove us all to be better.”

Around the same time in Frewsburg, a pair of sisters made their mark for the Bears: Melissa and Beth Luce. Melissa Luce graduated in 1993, while her younger sister, Beth, graduated two years later as Frewsburg’s all-time leading scorer.

Now Sandy Ruhlman, daughters Teghan and Jadyn Trocki are Frewsburg’s two leading scorers as the Bears head to Troy.

“They are sisters, but they are very different styles of players. I would say the same about my sisters and I,” Sandy said. ” … We all had different styles of playing. You complement each other because you know their strengths and weaknesses, and you can play to them.

“Teghan reminds me a lot of her dad, too. She has a quiet work ethic and discipline,” Sandy added of John Trocki, who passed away in 2009. “Jadyn reminds me more of me. It’s interesting to see how it comes out in the way that they play.”

Now Beth Jimerson, daughters Taytum and Ava are two of the Bears’ other starters. Taytum is second in the team in assists, rebounds and steals, while Ava leads the team in rebounding and is third in scoring.

“I’ve played with sisters before, AAU and different types of stuff. This is definitely a totally different experience than I’ve ever witnessed before. They never fight,” said Frewsburg head coach Sierra Beaver. “They can be honest with each other. I’ve never seen them get mad at each other. It blows my mind. They would do anything to protect each other on and off the court. It’s been a really fun experience.”

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Another area senior in 1995 was Randolph’s Kay Beaver, who finished her career as the Cardinals’ second all-time leading scorer with 1,194 points, while also setting a single-season mark with 474 points.

In 2000, on the 50th anniversary of Jamestown Community College, Beaver was recognized as the greatest athlete in school history.

Beaver would take over the Southwestern girls program in 2000-01, and in 2005 was The Post-Journal’s co-Coach of the Year after leading the Trojans to their first, and only, Far West Regional — until this year.

Beaver, now married to assistant coach Jay Sirianni, has coached her nieces: Reece, Braya and Charlotte Beaver to this year’s state semifinals with an 18-7 record. Sirianni’s daughter and the Beavers’ cousin, Bella, a junior on the team, is also Southwestern’s second-leading scorer.

“This team seems like one big family. You might think they all act like sisters. There is a little more bickering between the siblings, but the rest of the girls respect that and understand that, too,” Sirianni said Wednesday evening. “They’ve been together for a long time.”

Reece — Chautauqua County’s all-time leading scorer — leads the Trojans in scoring; Braya is tied as the team’s third-leading scorer; and Charlotte has contributed off the bench in just her eighth-grade season.

“They get along extremely well for being family. I think they understand their roles and responsibilities on the team. They also understand Reece is their leader. They look up to her and allow her a little more freedom to coach them up,” Sirianni said. “They’ve learned to use it as constructive criticism. They all look up to her and want to be as good as her. (Reece) understands they are her younger family members; she wants to build them up and help them to work hard for their goals.”

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All four Zirkle sisters and their parents will be in Troy this week to hopefully watch the Trockis bring home the family’s first state championship. Several of the Siriannis and Beavers will also be there hoping for the same at Southwestern.

“It’s so much fun. They’ve put in so much time. It’s been rewarding to see it pay off this year,” Carol Zirkle said Tuesday evening. “I’ve helped Sandy with her AAU team. I’ve coached Teghan and Bella Sirianni. It’s fun to see them grow and have success, and play so well.”

When the Trockis moved to Frewsburg in 2016, Sandy started a youth team made up of third-graders Teghan Trocki, Taytum Jimerson and Ava Jimerson as well as first-grader Jadyn Trocki. Bella Sirianni and a pair of Warren girls who made a state-playoff run in Pennsylvania this year have also played with them over the years. Eight years later, the fruits of their labor are paying off.

“It’s so exciting to watch them. We’ve been watching them put the time in for years,” Susie Zirkle said. “Just to see all the hard work they’ve been putting in paying off is so rewarding for our whole family. We think the world of all of our nieces and nephews. To see them be successful is just amazing.

“No team from Brocton had ever gone to states, now this is the first time Frewsburg has gone for girls basketball,” she added. “Just the similarities are pretty awesome to get to share with them. It’s special.”

“For Christmas, I asked Teghan and Jadyn for a state championship,” Carol added. ” … They said they’d work on it. We’ll see.”