LAUREL -- It's common to see brothers or sisters play for the same high school team. But it's rare to see a trio of sisters not only on the same basketball roster, but in the same varsity starting lineup.
Yet, here they are, the Timm sisters, soaking up a season they call once-in-a-lifetime for their family.
"It's definitely really rare, and I think it's pretty cool that this is the only sport (for us) it's ever going to happen in," Laurel's Grace Timm told MTN Sports before a recent game.
"It'll never happen again," her sister Sophia said. "We'll never play the same sport at the same time again together, so it's really special."
"And the only year because we're seniors and Emma is a freshman, so I think it's pretty amazing," Grace said.
Yes, the freshman. Emma is one of Laurel's top scorers and has led the team in points on multiple occasions.
"I never played with them growing up, so this is the first time I've ever been on a team with them," Emma said appreciatively. "I feel like we've connected more."
The older sisters are actually twins, but you wouldn't know it at first glance: Sophia and Grace aren't identical.
"I'm glad we're not identical because we're different identities," Sophia said. "And a lot of people don't know, so it's kind of cool when we tell them and they're like, 'Oh, we can see it.' And I'm like, 'You can't see it, but thanks for trying.'"
"The only time we were apart was first grade and it was the hardest year of our lives," Grace recalled. "We just wanted to try separating us to see how we would do and it didn't really work out very well."
Naturally, each has a noticeable difference in personality.
"Grace is the cleanest one, she's like the mom," Emma said.
How about that mental connection between the twins? Do they share thoughts, read each other's minds?
"If we have to say a word on three, we usually say the same word and I don't know why. It's usually ice cream or chili," Sophia laughed.
There you have it, something from the food groups. And on that note, their go-to snacks?
"I like Belvita crackers or Dots pretzels," Sophia confided. "Grace is a very healthy person, oranges and apples all the time."
"I like apple sauce, like the little squeeze packets. Those are really good," Grace said. "And granola bars."
"Whenever we go out, she always gets water as her drink, or salad and stuff," the freshman deadpanned.
"C'mon, Grace, switch it up," Sophia said chuckling.
If they ever have to race for snacks, Grace wins. She's the runner, four varsity years of cross country and track at Laurel with a scholarship to Dickinson State.
Sophia's strength is volleyball, and she committed to Dickinson State shortly after.
"I went and visited with Grace and I fell in love with it," she said.
"If she wouldn't have come with me on that visit, she definitely wouldn't have picked there," Grace said.
Sophia is into dentistry while Grace wants to pursue nursing or physical therapy. But that's the future.
As for the recent past, rewind to Laurel's Homecoming week when Grace was up for queen.
"She was definitely freaked out, she didn't think she was going to win and I was like, 'You're definitely going to win,'" Sophia recalled.
"I was really nervous the night of, and then they called princess, and then they called my name and I just screamed," Grace said, still sounding somewhat surprised.
Emma remembered this way: "She was just so awestruck, like, 'How did I win against all these people?' My dad and I was just giving her a bad time up there."
The freshman doesn't hesitate to give her senior sisters a hard time. Athletically, Emma wants to outshine both twins. Her target is an NCAA Division I basketball scholarship.
"Actually, she's really humble," Grace said. "I'm like, 'Yay, Emma, you did this!' And she's like, 'Yeah, I did.'"
"She's very funny. She has a dry sense of humor and always makes us laugh," said Sophia.
Last question: Which sister is most glued to her phone?
"I'd say Emma," Grace said. "She's on Tik-Tok a lot, all the kids are these days."
"What did Sophi say?" Emma asked of her older sister's interview answer. "Me? Nooo, Sophi is on Snapchat all the time."
That leaves the tie-breaker to Grace.
"I'd say Emma," she grinned, "always watching Tik-Tok."
There it is, the seniors ganging up on the freshman one more time. But as the clock ticks, this rare varsity trio is hoping to ride their once-in-a-lifetime wave as long as possible.
