MARLBOROUGH – The Deneen sisters do everything together.
Aside from living under the same roof, the sisters play soccer together, participate in Best Buddies and help Marlborough High School’s unified track team.
And nowadays, the sisters are bonding over another athletic activity: basketball.
The Deneen sisters — Meghan, a senior captain, and sophomore Kaelyn — have helped the Marlborough girls basketball team notch 15 wins and earn the No. 23 seed in the MIAA Division 2 state tournament.
The sisters have been playing basketball for years. Inspired by their father, who played Division 1 collegiate basketball at Framingham State University, the sisters started hooping at the Boys & Girls Club. From there, they competed on travel teams.
“I definitely love basketball,” said Meghan, who will play soccer at Saint Anselm College next year. “I’d say soccer is probably my main sport, but basketball, it’s a break from soccer. It’s a lot different. It’s on a smaller court. I’d say at times it’s more competitive, just because it’s a more fast-paced game.”
With two years separating the sisters, they have often found themselves on different teams, and while both said they enjoyed cheering for one another from the stands, they acknowledged it’s special to share the court with their sibling.
“I’ve always looked up to her because, like, she’s my sister, and she’s a really good athlete,” Kaelyn said about Meghan. “I’ve always wanted to be like her, play like her.”
“It’s really nice. I like being able to help her. We’ve always gone to each other’s games, so it’s nice to be able to play with each other,” Meghan said.
“I know it’s definitely nice for our parents too,” she laughed, referencing how their parents only have to attend one game to see their daughters play.
Meghan — who averages 11.3 points and 4.6 assists per game — has become an all-around contributor, vocal leader and role model for the Panthers, said Frank Greene, Marlborough’s first-year head coach.
“She does it all,” Greene said. “We go as she goes.”
“I have coached a lot of great players over the years, but [Meghan] is an extraordinary basketball player [and] more importantly… a very special person. Meghan is the most athletic player I have seen in a very long time… She is tough as nails — [the] one-in-a-million player that high school coaches dream of having on their team,” Greene said.
Kaelyn, in year two of her high school basketball career, has been impressive, he added.
“She represents this team in every sense of the word… [She’s] willing to do anything to win games. [She’s] by far our best defensive player on this team, always guarding the other team’s best player. My philosophy is always to play the game the right way and respect the game. I think she is a great example of this philosophy,” he said.
It’s been really cool — having two years by myself but then being able to be with her and seeing her grow. I think she’s definitely grown a lot in the two years. She works really hard. One of the hardest workers I know on both teams. It’s been really fun to see,” Meghan said of her sister’s athletic development.
With leadership from the Deneen sisters, Marlborough — which went 7-10 last year — is 15-3 heading into the state tournament. While each sister said they are taking the rest of the season “one game at a time,” Meghan said the team is best when they “play [their] game.”
“I think we just have a different motivation this year. A different mindset. We all just want to win and work hard in every single game, every single practice. As a team, we really have the same goal,” she said.
Yet, as the end of the season nears, Meghan has been met with mixed emotions. Every basketball game — every basket, every pass — is one step closer to the end of her high-school athletic career.
“I mean, it’s definitely bittersweet. I’m ready, I think, for college, but it’s going to be sad leaving all my friends. I’ve made so many really good friendships through sports — some of my best friends are from sports here, and it’s definitely brought me closer to Kaelyn — so I’ll definitely be sad,” she said.
And the end of the season will be just as bittersweet for Kaelyn.
“I’ll be sad. I’m not going to have rides to practice anymore, you know?” she said.
