Being sisters, Hobart’s Cailey and Riley Weber presumably have a lot in common.
Brickies coach Alaina Richter draws contrasts.
“You wouldn’t know they’re sisters,” Richter said. “They don’t really act like it. They don’t really look like it either. A couple of our coaches who came in this year had no idea they’re sisters.
“They’re very different players. Their games are very different. Cailey likes to run. She can drive pretty well. Riley stays in the paint a lot more. But at the same time, they’re very similar.”
Both have stepped to the forefront for the Brickies (6-17), who will play a Class 4A Valparaiso Sectional opener against Northwest Crossroads Conference foe Kankakee Valley (14-9) on Wednesday night.
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Riley Weber, a 5-foot-11 sophomore forward/center, averages team highs of 8.8 points and 7.2 rebounds. Cailey Weber, a 5-8 senior forward, is second with 8.3 points and 4.5 rebounds.
And they do share qualities that have allowed them to flourish.
“They’re both just great kids,” Richter said. “They’re both great athletes and great students in school. They both have a strong work ethic, and they’re constantly looking to improve their game. They’re both team players. They’re just sweet girls.”
Both have also shouldered increased responsibility for Hobart, which lost its top three scorers from last season. Indiana All-Star and program career scoring leader Asia Donald, a freshman contributing at Indiana State, headlines that group. Senior guard Jesse Neace has missed this season with a torn ACL, and Nikolina Latinovic also graduated.
Riley Weber backed up Latinovic as a freshman, coming off the bench to average 2.2 points and 4.0 rebounds. She benefited from that experience.
“That helped me a lot, and I feel like I have more confidence this year,” Riley Weber said. “It’s being stronger under the basket and being confident with my shot. It’s knowing I had to step up in my spot.
“Playing with a bunch of older girls and being one of the younger starters, I knew I had to come up for everyone else. I had to show the younger girls, too, if you put in the work and get confidence with yourself, you can do it.”
Richter has seen the strides Riley Weber has made.
“Riley is a kid who has truly amazed me this year,” Richter said. “She has come a very long way. She’s really broken out of her shell this year. She’s really shown us and opponents what she’s capable of.
“She’s strong in the paint. She’s been an excellent rebounder all year long. She’s just expanded her game completely. She can shoot the ball. She has a great attitude. She’s a great kid and a great teammate and very coachable. We’ve really enjoyed watching Riley grow as a player from last year to this year, but even this year she’s come a really long way.”
Cailey Weber was a part-time starter as a sophomore before moving into that spot full time last season, when she averaged 4.3 points and 4.8 rebounds.
“It’s definitely new to me this year,” Cailey Weber said. “Last year I wasn’t a scorer. I was more under the basket, getting rebounds for the team, more assists and steals. This year I knew I had to step up. Being a senior, my last year, I knew we were losing some big scorers, so I had to step up and get myself some points this year.”
Cailey Weber also has impressed Richter.
“Cailey’s been important on varsity for a couple of years now, and this year was the first year they’ve gotten to play this much on the court together every night,” Richter said. “Cailey’s a hustler. She’s a super coachable kid who also has come a really long way. She’s someone who’s constantly trying to improve her game and expand it. She’s developed her shot, and she’s been finishing around the rim a lot better. Like her sister, she grabs a lot of rebounds and putbacks. They play pretty well together.”
Cailey Weber is a co-captain with senior guard Emma Ortiz.
“Cailey is a super vocal leader,” Richter said. “She’s always out on the floor talking to her teammates, talking to her coaches. She’s always trying to pick up her teammates. She’s always trying to be positive on the floor, even when things aren’t going well. She’s also a great leader by example. She’s always giving 110% out there, and she’s super coachable.
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“There are a lot of things I appreciate about Cailey, and Riley is following in her footsteps and learning from her as well.”
Riley Weber has relished playing extensively with her older sister.
“Cailey’s definitely a leader,” Riley Weber said. “A lot of younger girls have told me they look up to her. It’s definitely easier to play knowing she’s on the court with me all the time. I know she’s always going to be there for me.”
The admiration goes both ways.
“We’ve gotten closer over the years. … As you get older, you love them more,” Cailey Weber said. “She’s been great. She’s a very talented athlete. She’s definitely someone, even though she doesn’t know, I look up to her even though she’s my younger sister. She’s down there getting rebounds for us. She’s just a great person to have on this team.”
Riley and Cailey Weber, whose brother Cole qualified for regionals at 144 pounds in wrestling, also were teammates in volleyball. They diverge in the spring, when Riley Weber plays softball and Cailey Weber runs track.
Riley Weber started at third base for the Brickies as a freshman. She considers softball her top sport, but basketball has been gaining ground.
“Basketball is close,” she said. “Ever since last year, I’ve liked basketball a lot more. I’m very competitive, and I like competing for the whole 32 minutes and letting some anger out. It never stops out there. In softball, if you make a mistake, you’re thinking about it. But in basketball, you just go, go, go. You just forget about it and make up for it the next time down the court.
“In middle school, I never knew if I wanted to play basketball, and Cailey said, ‘It’s so fun. Just do it. Just try it out.’ She helped me keep playing.”
Cailey Weber was a regional qualifier in the 300-meter hurdles last year, missing out on the state meet by the narrowest of margins. She intends to continue her track career at Purdue Northwest, where she plans to study biology and chemistry.
But the Webers remained focused on basketball season.
“Our mentality going into every game hasn’t changed,” Cailey Weber said. “Even if you look at our record, this team has not given up. We’ve gone into every game with 110% effort. We have not stopped competing. That’s something I wanted to show as an individual and as a leader. Giving up isn’t an option. Just play until you can’t.”