LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- At home, Christian Academy senior Delaney Gardner and freshman Savannah Gardner let their sibling rivalry play out on a hoop in the driveway.
"In the driveway, they go as hard as they can at each other," said Bill Gardner, who has watched his daughters battle on the blacktop for years. "Sometimes, you don’t know they’re sisters."
The Gardners are able to put aside the rivalry when they put on their uniforms and take the court for the Centurions.
"I’ve taught her a lot and I’ve always tried to be encouraging to (Savannah)," said Delaney Gardner, who, along with her sister, leads CAL in rebounding. "I hope she will take that on in the next year that she plays, as well."
"I think Delaney’s drive has always stayed with me," Savannah Gardner said. "It’s made me work harder. She works super hard for it, and that really makes me want to work hard."
The sisters are savoring their final season together before Delaney Gardner heads to college next season. The Centurions made it to the Seventh Region championship in 2020, and the duo would like to get to this year's Kentucky Sweet 16.
"When we play together, we build all these memories," Savannah Gardner said. "That’s just important because she’s leaving next year, and that makes a big impact on me."
Outside of practice, the workouts on the driveway continue, maybe even after the basketball season is finished.
"We’re definitely very competitive," Delaney Gardner said. "We’re out there to win."
So far this season, COVID-19 has wiped out six of CAL’s scheduled games, but the hope is the Gardner sisters will get to play together all the way to the Sweet 16.
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