Knowing the habits and tendencies of teammates is crucial in basketball, where chemistry can be the difference between a scoring chance and a turnover.
Deerfield juniors and fraternal twins Olivia and Rachel Elkes have better chemistry than most.
At 5-foot-9, Rachel is two inches taller than her sister. She has the versatility to play either on the wing or in the post. Olivia is more of a pure shooter.
The two play to their strengths. That translates to relying on each other.
“She is my safety,” Olivia Elkes said. “If I get stuck, I am naturally going to look for Rachel. I know I can count on her to be there.”
Deerfield graduated all five starters from a year ago. The Elkes sisters, in their first year on the varsity squad, are important rotation players off the bench. They look to inject energy for the Warriors.
The two revealed their talents Dec. 27 against Wheeling at the Blue Devil Classic holiday tournament in Gurnee.
Olivia Elkes drilled a 3-pointer off the glass from an improbable angle that pulled the Warriors to within four points late in the third quarter. Rachel Elkes converted a 3-pointer from the right corner midway through the fourth quarter, but that was the team’s last basket and accounted for the only fourth-quarter points in the 47-30 loss against the Wildcats.
Deerfield (3-13 as of Friday) failed to win a game at the tournament and closed with a 50-46 loss to Phillips on Dec. 28.
Olivia Elkes scored 12 points in that loss. Junior center Sophie Fishbein scored a team-best 14 points.
Fishbein had eight points and seven rebounds against Wheeling. The sisters contributed five points apiece.
As the team works out roles and identities, the sisters look to play off their tight relationship to help solidify the rest of the team.
“We help knit everybody together,” Rachel Elkes said. “The game (against Wheeling) was reflective of our season. Sometimes I think when we see something not going the right way, we tend to shut down. We need to get better at that as a team. We need to keep moving forward.”
Coach Mike Muldrow said despite the imbalance between wins and losses so far, the team is going about improvement the right way.
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“The dynamic of our team has been very good,” Muldrow said. “I think a lot of people are enjoying trying to figure out their role better and understanding how to play basketball. Different kids are trying to step up and lead, and that’s been terrific.”
Deerfield has also played without its tallest player, 6-2 senior Jaclyn Ready, who is out with an ankle injury. The injuries and inexperience have taken a toll, yet the team is eager to begin the turnaround.
“It’s frustrating, the losing,” Olivia Elkes said. “We know we lost a lot of valuable players from last year, and I know we have really big shoes to fill. I know with me and Rachel coming into (varsity), we wanted to prove that we could contribute.
“We have these lapses. I know we are capable of winning. Once we mesh, it is going to turn out better.”
Patrick Z. McGavin is a freelance reporter for Pioneer Press.
Twitter @Pioneer_Press