2 Pairs Of Identical Twin Sisters Living Out Dream Of Playing In Basketball State Tournament Together

Originally published March 18, 2022

MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- A trip to the state tournament is a little more fun when you can share it with your sister - especially your twin sister.

The Hancock girls basketball team reached the 1A state semi-finals on Thursday. The Owls actually have two sets of identical twins on their team.

"It's crazy to have one set of twins and here we have two. It's pretty cool," said Kaitlyn Rohloff.

Kaitlyn and Karleigh Rohloff are freshman point guards and identical twins. At any given time they can share the court with another set of identical twins - seniors Rylee and Carlee Hanson.

"We've been dreaming of it since we were little kids. Playing basketball since we were kindergartners. Definitely a dream come true," said Rylee Hanson.

Even though the sisters are naturally competitive with each other, they believe having an identical twin on the court can be confusing for opponents and built-in chemistry for the team.

"I can make that pass and expect her to be there because we have that read with each other," said Carlee Hanson.

And it's not just the girls basketball team. In Hancock, twins are actually pretty common.

"Just in our class we have 30 kids in our class and there are 4 sets of twins so we have a lot twins in our school," said Karleigh Rohloff.

Head Coach Tony Thielke can relate -- he has a twin sister.

"It was a neat experience going through high school with a twin," said Thielke.

He can relate on the court too. In 1997, Thielke was part of Hancock's Boys Basketball State Championship team. The girls also won the state title that year. It's a victory twins and non-twins, would love to replicate.

"I'm just proud of these girls and excited for what lies ahead for them," said Tony.

Hancock's population is just under 800 people.

It's estimated that about three in every 1,000 births are identical twins, so the town is more than beating the odds.