Lakewood Ranch girls basketball twins use determination to find success

It has become a stereotype in modern cinema, a set of twins who not only look the same, but act the same down to speaking the exact same phrases at the same time.

That phenomenon isn't exactly fiction, though. Lakewood Ranch juniors Emma and Sarah Fazio are mirror images of one another, aside from Sarah’s braces. They both stand 4-foot-11, and both slightly dip their heads and look away when thinking of answers to questions.

They also have something else very much in common.

Winning.

Both play key roles on a highly successful girls basketball team.

Sarah starts at guard for the Mustangs, while Emma is first off the bench. While vertically challenged, they use the gifts they do have to their advantage. They are extremely quick and have good ball-handling skills. They can push the tempo with long, accurate passes that stretch the floor. They play aggressive defense, and they can shoot, too.

They have worked hard to maximize their strengths, and it shows. The twins were named co-MVPs of the Mustangs’ 75-55 win over Bishop Loughlin (N.Y.) at the She Got Game Classic in Upper Marlboro, Md., on Dec. 11. It was the first time the tournament had named co-MVPs in its eight-year history.

It wasn’t just a one-time display of dominance. On Dec. 15, Sarah Fazio used her defensive instincts to collect six steals in the Mustangs’ 74-10 win over Venice, and on Jan. 12, Emma Fazio scored eight points, including two 3-pointers, in the final five minutes of Lakewood Ranch’s game against Sarasota to push the Mustangs to a 67-47 victory. The pair has been dubbed “Double Trouble” by Lakewood Ranch coach Tina Hadley.

According to the twins’ mother, Julie Fazio, it’s not just twin talk. They really are similar in everyday life. Besides the temporary visual clue in Sarah’s braces, their personalities are the best way to tell them apart. Julie Fazio said Emma is more social while Sarah is more serious and “keeps people in line.”

She summed up her daughters’ personalities with an anecdote. Sarah and Emma got their driver’s licenses at the same time, when they turned 16. Since that time, Emma has backed into cars in the Fazio driveway on three separate occasions. Sarah has kept a clean sheet. Now, whenever the girls’ friends need a ride, it is an in-joke that Sarah will drive, and Emma will be in charge of the radio.

The girls themselves struggled to think of differences.

“Emma I think is sometimes louder,” Sarah Fazio said.

“What!” Emma Fazio exclaimed before ultimately shrugging in agreement.

The Fazio daughters do not like to do “girly” things, Julie Fazio said. They have always been interested in predominantly male activities. When the twins were 5 years old, they took up an interest in football after watching their older brother, Joey, play the game.

Emma was a quarterback; Sarah a running back. They started playing flag, but after a year the twins wanted to move up to tackle. Julie Fazio was hesitant. Undeterred, the twins took it upon themselves to talk to the tackle coaches and stated their case, Julie Fazio said. Their East Manatee Bulldog coaches were open to them playing, and after seeing their self-starter attitude on display, their mother allowed them to do so.

“I knew then that if there was ever something they wanted to do, they would accomplish it,” Julie Fazio said.

Eventually, the twins gave up football for other sports, including basketball and cross-country, in which the duo also excels.

In everything they do, the Fazios are competing, both with the world and with each other. From running time trials to comparing grades in school, the girls always want to come out on top.

The question begs: Which Fazio sister comes out on top most often?

“Me!” Emma and Sarah Fazio said simultaneously.

Sounds about right.