CHICAGO HEIGHTS | You can tell these twins apart without a scorecard?
Marian Catholic coach Annie Byrne said it is easy to tell Bri and Nicole Narcissi apart.
"Bri is No. 42 and Nicole is No. 10," Byrne said with a laugh. "Sure I can tell them apart. For one, they are two different people."
The senior 5-foot-5 guards are do not look exactly alike and have different facial features. Plus, Nicole is eight minutes older than her "younger" sister.
They are similar in that both are good students and play hard. Their styles are different in that Nicole is left-handed and is more of a 3-point shooter. Bri is more of a defensive specialist.
"We have different color eyes, Nicole said. "I have blue eyes and lighter hair."
Bri chimed in: "I have brown eyes and darker hair."
The two will go their separate ways next year. Bri will go to North Central College in Naperville, while Nicole is headed to Illinois State. Both will be on the ISU campus this weekend as they and their Spartans teammates will try and bring home the program's first state title.
Marian (31-1) puts its 18-game wining streak on the line when it faces Whitney Young (2703) at 8:15 p.m. today in one Class 4A semifinal.
"It is great to be a part of this team," Bri said. "We worked hard and we are excited about the chance to (maybe) play for a state title."
They are also part of a Narcissi family legacy as their parents, Tom and Paula, are Marian grads.
"There have been Narcissis at Marian for a long time," Nicole said. "We have a lot of relatives who went here and for us, we are proud to continue that family tradition."
They have some teachers who taught their parents and relatives. Nicole said one teacher tells her she looks just like her mom when Paula was in high school.
"One tells me I look like my Aunt Karen," Bri said. "So it is kind of neat when they tell you that."
One tradition the twins have not been able to pull off was what many twins do — switch identities.
"We never looked alike, so we couldn't do it," Nicole said. "The teachers would know right away, though it would have been kind of neat."
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