Wilson twins giving foes double vision

January 10, 2010

By John Vellante, Globe Correspondent

They are each other's biggest fans, and teamed on the basketball court, they spell double trouble for the opposition.

The Wilson twins of Lowell, Brianna and Whitney, , are now playing for Salem State, a perennial women's basketball title contender in the Massachusetts State College Athletic Conference.

The 6-foot, 3-inch young women have acclimated themselves quite nicely to the world of college basketball.

"Both are very capable of playing at a high level, and both are more than what I thought when I recruited them,'' said Salem State coach Tim Shea, now in his 28th season. "They're much more athletic than I thought.''

The Wilsons are able to single-handedly - or double-handedly if the need arises - take over a game. That was never more evident than in the Salem State Holiday Classic title game, when the Vikings dropped SUNY-Oneonta, 71-70, in an overtime thriller.

The duo combined to score all seven points in OT, and more important, 23 of Salem State's final 32 points.

Overall, Brianna played 39 minutes, scored 19 points, and snared 16 rebounds while Whitney played 26 minutes and scored eight points with six rebounds. Brianna, who also had 11 points and eight rebounds in a semifinal romp over Hiram (Ohio) College, was named the tournament's MVP.

"We were down anywhere from eight, nine, or 11 points most of the second half before coming back,'' said Shea. "Brianna and Whitney played the last 17 minutes down the stretch and rose to the challenge. This was a significant win for the program because SUNY-Oneonta is a good team. We're young with seven freshmen and four sophomores, so winning was huge.''

Last year, the Wilsons led Lowell deep into the Division 1 North Sectional before being ousted by Central Catholic. They both admit the college game is "definitely different'' than high school competiton. They almost echoed when they said the college game "is more intense, more aggressive, and more physical.''

Shea is delighted to have the sisters on his team but sees differences in what they bring to the floor.

"They are definitely athletic and they are sponges in terms of learning,'' he said. "Brianna is more polished offensively; she can really go to the basket. Whit ney is maybe more aggressive and the better rebounder at this stage.''

Through nine games, Brianna was averaging 11.7 points and 8.1 rebounds while Whitney was at 5.4 points and 3.8 rebounds.

"It's playing time more than anything else,'' he said. "Look closely, and you'll see Brianna is playing 28 minutes a game and Whitney 16. We have the reigning all-conference post player in Danielle Jenkins. Now we have the Wilson sisters and just like that, we have three very good post players. Whitney is fighting for her minutes, but she's getting there.

"Early on, they would shoot only if open, a lot of touch and pass. Now they're starting to take the open shot when they have it. They have to take advantage of their height, which is pretty good at the Division 3 level.''

Salem State (5-4) opens MASCAC play Tuesday, hosting Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts. The Lady Vikings, young as they are, should be in the hunt. Shea and Salem State have dominated MASCAC over the years, winning a combined 38 championships (22 regular season and 16 postseason).