Four sets of sisters listed on Lady Lynx hoops roster

When it comes to “running in the family,” look no further than the Brandon Valley girls basketball program.

The 2024-25 Lynx feature multiple sets of sisters, eight in total. They include senior Maddie Geiver and sophomore London Geiver, senior Amanda Lease and sophomore Gwen Lease, junior Liv Padgett and freshman Ava Padgett, along with junior Anika Pedersen and freshman Autumn Pedersen.

When the Lynx practice and the 40-some players roll out in their black and red practice gear, many of them have already spent a large part of their day together.

That can sometimes present a complex environment for the Brandon Valley coaching staff.

“I think there’s times where it can be challenging. You see your sister having success, or you yourself are having success. But at the end of the day, family is family,” said Brandon Valley head coach Mike Zerr. “We’re really lucky here because it ends up being a group of 40 or 50 sisters.”

When it comes to team sports, that can certainly be the case as relationships form with teammates. But this one’s different. Having eight sisters in the same program produces a unique bond.

“We’re pretty much best friends,” said Ava Padgett, who watches her big sister run the point for the varsity squad. “I’m really proud of her and I care more if she does good in her games than if I do.”

For Amanda and Gwen Lease, their bond starts in the morning long before anyone is thinking of bouncing a basketball. The two live in Canton and open-enrolled to Brandon Valley last year to play basketball. They make the 30-minute drive to-and-from school together every morning and evening.

This season, Gwen got some varsity minutes as a sophomore and scored her first points in Brandon Valley’s win at Sioux Falls Jefferson on Dec. 17.

“I’m proud of her. Seeing her score against Jefferson was a pretty exciting moment,” Amanda said. “We’ve gotten really close the last two years because of our drives together.”

For Maddie and London Geiver, it seemed almost destiny that they’d be sharing the court together. Their father, Matt Geiver, was one of Mount Marty University’s top players after graduating from Sioux Falls Roosevelt. He’s in the Mount Marty Hall of Fame after being named the SDIC MVP in 2000.

“We were always in the driveway playing basketball and pushing each other,” said Madison, who’s headed to Black Hills State next year to play for the Yellow Jackets. “We’ve always been really competitive.”

As a sophomore, London has also seen some varsity time this year, too. Maddie played sparingly as a sophomore but has seen significant minutes as a junior and senior.

She said she’s tried to give her little sister motivation to play at the varsity level. That clearly seems to be paying off.

“It’s more of a confidence thing,” she said. “We always push each other to be more confident in ourselves. She’s put in all the work, but it’s also competing with each other to build that confidence that we know what we’re doing against hard competition.”

Obviously, there’s a lot of love on the floor with siblings in the same jersey. But as it is in any sport, practices can get intense, physical, tough. That physicality and intensity is there no matter what. 

But when you throw sisters into the mix, it can obviously reach a new level.

“There’s a lot more benefits than there are drawbacks, but have I seen sisters absolutely go at each other in practice on purpose? Absolutely I have,” Zerr asks and answers. “A lot of that stuff as a coach, you just kind of smile and turn your head. They’re sisters. But sometimes they go at each other with their non-blood sisters, too.”

Only the Lease’s and the Geiver’s have sisters on the varsity roster. But that doesn’t mean the other sets of sisters don’t see plenty of each other on the floor. 

Practices can bring a ferocity that reaches energetic heights, and oftentimes the JV squad serves as a scout team against the varsity. That’s when the sisters will tangle.

“We’re always playing against each other,” Anika Pedersen said. “I feel like I’ve been nicer to her now and helped her more, but it’s definitely still very competitive.”

That competitiveness can raise the level of fervor in practice, but it’s not always bad.

“It’s kind of hard, but it also pushes me to try and get better and try to be better than her,” Autumn Pedersen said of her older sister. “Sometimes it gets a little annoying and hard, but it’s good.”

The varsity team players can be seen on game nights in the stands as the freshman, sophomore, and JV games are played. It’s a chance for some of the sisters to catch a glimpse of their younger siblings getting time on the floor.

Although things may get feisty in practice, game nights are the opportunity to watch their family succeed on the floor.

 “They root for their sis, they want the best for their sis. For the most part, they all get along pretty well,” Zerr said. “You have your best moments and your worst moments with the people you care about the most.”