‘It’s a healthy balance’: Love of hoops and competitive spirit fuel sets of sisters across City 6 teams

Playing sports with a sibling creates a bond forged by intense competition — and unwavering support.

For three sets of sisters across the City 6 women’s basketball teams, this could not be more true.

At La Salle, senior twins Claire and Amy Jacobs helped lead the charge as seniors, while Mia, their younger sister, followed in their footsteps as a freshman.

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Fellow Explorer Julie Jekot played her second season against her sister Katie, who is a graduate student at St. Joseph’s.

The Brugler sisters have a different situation, with Talya finishing her sophomore year at St. Joe’s while older sister Tessa joined the Drexel staff as the director of basketball operations after graduating and closing her basketball career with the Dragons last year.

All three sets of sisters have a shared love for the game that has shaped and strengthened their relationship, especially while playing down the street from one another in Philly.

For Mia, Claire, and Amy Jacobs, being near family has meant more than many realize. Living more than 11,000 miles from their hometown of Perth, Australia, the sisters have leaned on one another time and time again. Amy and Claire, senior twins, played at La Salle together for four years, and Mia joined them in Philadelphia this season as a freshman.

“Just knowing that I have them, even if it’s just going to sit in their room, has been so helpful,” Mia said. “I think I would’ve struggled if I went somewhere without them.”

Basketball was the center of the sisters’ bond from a young age. Between intense games in the driveway and competing in practice at La Salle, they always pushed each other to be better.

“It got very competitive in the backyard,” Claire said. “We would be out there for hours and wouldn’t come in until someone cried.”

Added Amy: “It can be hard because you can’t really talk to your sister the same way that you talk to other people. But, at the same time, you don’t really get the same support from anyone else you’re not related to. It’s a healthy balance.”

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Having three sisters on a team could cause concern about the effect of that relationship on the team dynamic, but for the Jacobs sisters, it hasn’t been a problem. They say they are such different people that they believe, if anything, it has had a positive impact on the Explorers.

With Claire transferring to Nevada for her final year and Amy choosing to forgo her extra eligibility granted because of the COVID-19 pandemic, Mia will spend the next three years representing the Jacobs name on her own at La Salle. But she’ll still have her older sisters cheering her on from afar.

With a path paved by their oldest sister, Kelly, who played at Villanova, the Jekots have stood out on the City 6 women’s basketball scene since 2016-17.

Katie just finished her sixth and final season at St. Joe’s while Julie is just getting started as a sophomore at La Salle. The two never got to experience playing together growing up in Enola, Pa., because of their four-year age difference, but with Katie’s extra years because of an injury and COVID-19, the pair faced each other four times over the last two seasons.

“It was just always kind of funny because we never pictured being on the court versus each other,” Katie said.

Added Julie: “It was definitely interesting. I liked it, but it was really hard because she’s my sister, so I want her to do well, and I internally root for her, obviously. Definitely felt very torn in that experience.”

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That rooting interest never stopped the sisters from competing growing up. Inspired by their parents, who played field hockey and basketball at Lock Haven University, all four sisters (including youngest sister Jillian) loved sports from a young age and would persuade their parents to join them for competitive games of three-on-three in the driveway.

“We were so competitive,” Julie said. “None of us like to lose, especially Katie.”

Unfortunately for Katie, Julie’s Explorers went 3-1 in the sisters’ four matchups. Despite her competitive spirit, Katie remains supportive of her younger sister.

“I’m just really proud of her,” Katie said. “I think she’s doing really well there, and it’s not easy your first couple of years.”

Through all of the challenges that come with transitioning to college, having her older sisters close by has been crucial for Julie. Katie and Kelly share an apartment in Philadelphia, and Julie has found a second home there.

“[My favorite part is] just having a family dinner at least once a week,” Julie said. “It just makes me feel like I’m at home even more.”

For Tessa, Drexel was the second stop in her collegiate career. She played her first four years at Bucknell but transferred for her fifth year. Though just a small part of it, Talya’s commitment to St. Joe’s was an incentive to make the move to Philly.

“One of the first things [Drexel] said to me was, ‘We’ll be playing St. Joe’s next year.’” Tessa said. “It was always something that kind of stuck.”

That game was the first and only time the sisters would play each other on a basketball court. With a four-year age gap, the opportunity never presented itself for the siblings from Nazareth, Pa., until November 2021.

“It was really cool,” Talya said. “It was kind of scary because I had only ever played one game, and Tessa had like 100 games under her belt. But all our friends and family was there, which was really cool.”

“It was just one of those experiences where the outcome of the game wouldn’t have mattered just because it was such an amazing atmosphere,” Tessa added. “Just being able to share the same court with her was awesome.”

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While that opportunity came only one time, the memories that the sisters have been able to make off the court mean even more.

With Tessa coming to Drexel as a transfer, both sisters went through a similar experience last year adjusting to a new place and new people.

“It’s really nice and comforting knowing you have someone nearby,” Tessa said. “I didn’t know many people, so there were a lot of nights where we would hang out together.”

“Just doing random things that we weren’t able to for the past four years with her far away,” Talya said, “it kind of rekindled the relationship that we had when she was a senior in high school and I was in middle school.”

Tessa’s position on staff allowed her more time to attend Talya’s home games, something that wasn’t always possible when she was still playing for the Dragons.

With two more years of eligibility left, and Tessa still on the Dragons staff, the Brugler sisters plan to keep making more memories through their shared love for basketball.