SISTER ACT

Playing a sport at the college level is a big accomplishment. Being a two-sport athlete takes a lot of time and commitment. Getting to play two sports in college with your sister is a special, rare experience.

Megan Baxter is a junior at Carroll College in Helena and plays on the school golf team and the junior varsity basketball squad. This year, the 2021 graduate of Thompson Falls High School gets to play both sports with her little sister Ellie, a freshman at Carroll.

The Baxter sisters are both posts on the team, so only rarely do they get to be on the court together. "We never get to play with each other because she's our second tallest on the basketball team, so we're always going in for each other," Megan explained. "They are always begging to be put in together," Coach Savannah Bignell said with a laugh.

"In high school there was a lot more freedom in what we were doing," Ellie said of playing college basketball. "I think to start it was a little more intimidating," Megan said, "but we also got a brand new coach this year, and she was the starting point guard for Western when they won nationals a few years ago." Coach Bignell had the team learning a new playbook this year, but the girls say their coach is awesome.

Megan said "it's awesome" to be able to compete with her sister at the college level. "It's really special," Ellie said. She noted that when Megan graduated from high school when Ellie finished her sophomore year, she was excited to have two more years of basketball, but she missed playing with her sister. "Having Megan as the post, we always played well off each other. Then all of a sudden I was the post because I was the tallest on the team and I was like 'this isn't right,'" Ellie said. They treasure the moments now that Coach Bignell puts them in together.

Coach Bignell said the Baxter sisters are two of the hardest working players she's ever seen. "The girls are great. They have their own personalities but mesh well together. They calm each other down and hype each other up," she said of the duo. "Megan and Ellie are both so coachable.

With just a week left in the college basketball season, both Megan and Ellie said this year has been a lot of fun. The sisters said they enjoy hanging out with their golf teammates as well as their basketball teammates, and especially with each other.

"I'm not a very extroverted person, so I didn't connect with my teammates that much," Megan said. Having her sister there (both agree Ellie is the more outgoing of the two) has helped Megan open up and get to know people. They said Coach Bignell has also been good for the team connecting off the court.

The Baxters have had local support on the road in their college careers. Their family has made several trips to watch them play, and some friends from home have also attended games in Coeur d'Alene and Spokane. "That's probably the thing I miss the most about high school basketball is just being in your home gym with a ton of people that you know and that community feeling," Ellie said. "We have a lot of support at games in Helena, but it's not quite the same."

The girls said they had a fun fall season with Carroll's golf team as well. "I don't think I've ever played worse in my life, but it was still really fun," Ellie said. She added that she got to play golf with some of the same girls she played against in high school. Megan and Ellie will also participate in the spring season. Last year Megan got to compete in Las Vegas for the Frontier Conference championships. Ellie said she expected college golf to be more serious, but they had a lot of fun this year. Megan said she grew mentally in the golf season this year and didn't get as frustrated. "That was really helpful because everybody makes mistakes, but I know I work hard and need to trust it. I would get in my head so easily," she said.

The sisters also have some advice for young athletes wanting to compete at the next level. Megan said to take every opportunity that is given. For instance, both girls attended basketball camps at Carroll College and made connections throughout their high school career. Ellie added that it's important to have a good attitude and find a reason to love the game you play.

Megan said she first picked Carroll College because of the academics. Ellie said having Megan at Carroll was a big factor in her choice of college. She said she also liked that it was close to home and she knew a lot of the players from attending the Carroll College basketball camps since fifth grade.

There is no sibling rivalry between Megan and Ellie. They have admiration for each other and appreciate each other's strengths. "Megan is probably the nicest person I've ever met in my life," Ellie said. "She's super smart and super helpful." Ellie noted that Megan is very caring and thoughtful, and will do anything to help not only her sister, but her teammates as well. "She's also pretty quiet, but she has a pretty funny side," Ellie said of her big sister.

Megan said she loves how much of a social butterfly Ellie is. "She is super accepting of everybody. She'll just go up to a random person and start talking and all of a sudden they are best friends. She makes people special just by talking to them and I'm very envious of that. And I love how hard she works." Megan said she hasn't seen anyone work as hard as Ellie in sports as well.

Megan is planning to finish her accounting degree at Carroll and then go to the University of Montana for Law School. Ellie is in the pre-physical therapy program at Carroll. Both hope to one day come back to Thompson Falls.

Being two-sport athletes doesn't give the Baxter sisters a lot of free time, and they say college has taught them good time management skills. Many of the golf tournaments are during the week, so they have to work to get class work done. "Especially being a two-sport athlete, it's really important to manage everything," Megan said.

When college is over, both girls say they will miss playing basketball. Megan has aspirations to coach one day. "I really want to coach, I've always wanted that." Ellie said that she would like to coach as well, but also would like to be an athletic trainer for a team.

Coach Bignell has high hopes for the Baxter sisters on the court as well. "I'm hoping I can turn Ellie into a guard to play with her sister more next year, and work with Megan to be more confident. They play really well together and I know they will keep playing hard," she said.

The Baxter girls will enjoy the time they have left on the court together. One day, they may be together again on a coaching staff. The girls say they are proud to represent Thompson Falls at the college level, and hope to come back home after they are done with college.