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Twin sisters Erin and Ella Trinkaus grew up admiring their cousin, Emily Durr. The future Utica-Notre Dame’s Sports Hall of Fame inductee led the high school to the girl’s basketball state championship in 2014 while the twins were in second grade.

Fast forward a decade, Erin and Ella guided the Jugglers to the program’s second state title since 1983. Alongside their older sister, Maggie, the Trinkauses were U-ND’s three leading scorers.

The twins are the latest success story in the Trinkaus family’s rich athletic history. Now in their junior seasons, Ella is averaging 24.8 points per game while Erin’s 10.4 is the second-most on U-ND. This has culminated in Ella receiving multiple Division I offers and Erin working toward playing collegiately, where they’d follow in Durr’s (Iowa State) and Maggie’s (Mount St. Mary College) footsteps. Meanwhile, their mother, Beth, is also in U-ND’s Hall of Fame.

“They grew up watching basketball, going to basketball games since they were babies,” Beth said. “They’re so close in age together that they went everywhere together. If the twins had a game, Maggie was there. If Maggie had a game, the twins were there. If my brother or Emily had a game, they were there together.”

Before the three sisters won a state title, they were inseparable. Erin and Ella started playing basketball in preschool shortly after Maggie did. The twins often participated in Maggie’s practices and scrimmages throughout elementary school, being heavily involved in defensive drills with players two years older than them.

In eighth grade, Ella played 22 games with Maggie on U-ND’s varsity team. Erin then joined them in ninth grade. Having played with each other for so long, their familiarity made practices hard-fought.

“If it was a game of knockout or whatever, we each wanted to win, and that just made us better,” Erin said. “Through practice we push each other hard because we know that’s what will make our team better.”

When the twins were freshmen, U-ND advanced to the quarterfinals of the 2023 Section III Class B Championships, but fell 71-48 to Cortland. While it was a disappointing loss, it motivated the twins to improve ahead of their final season with Maggie.

After a narrow 57-53 loss in their season-opener against Indian River, the Jugglers finished the regular season 24-3, led by Ella’s 25.4 points and 11.5 rebounds per game. Erin earned a full-time starting role, propelling the Jugglers to the Section III Class B title, winning their first-round matchup by 52 points.

“We knew that it was going to be our last chance (to win) playing with each other. We just wanted to have one last good season together,” Ella said. “We had that connection, and we knew that we wanted to do great things and we worked hard for it.”

U-ND head coach John Snyder said the twins’ connection made the Jugglers tough to beat during their state title run. Snyder specifically described coaching Ella as a “once-in-a-lifetime opportunity” because of her unselfishness on the court and ability to rack up assists.

“They’re our two best players. They’ll be difficult to lose,” Snyder said.

Once they reached the championship game, on the same stage where Durr was 10 years ago, U-ND relied heavily on the twins to pull off an improbable comeback.

Down 14 points late in the third quarter, the Jugglers stormed back to capture a 55-51 win, adding another honor to their family’s resume. Ella scored 29 points and snagged eight rebounds in the win, while Erin led the team with two blocks.

“We thought we were able to go that far, but we didn’t really believe it until the games leading up to the state championship,” Ella said. “We just had that hope and belief throughout the whole game. When we were down in the first half, we never gave up on ourselves and our team.”

Following their title, the Jugglers elevated to Class A this season, making their path to the Sectional Tournament exponentially harder. U-ND also lost Maggie and four other seniors who the twins had played with their whole lives.

As Erin and Ella take over as the Jugglers’ upperclassmen, their individual success becomes even more paramount. Their father, Jason, said he’s enjoyed watching them play together but thinks they’ll find their own paths to success after U-ND, even if that means not playing for the same team in college.

“It’s been great to be able to watch them grow up together, to be so close, but their personalities are so much different that they’re their own person,” Jason said.

Regardless of what happens this season and after high school, Erin and Ella are focused on writing new chapters in their family’s history. For their mother, the state title also means they’ve already accomplished more than she ever imagined when they started playing basketball.

“We didn’t ever think we would be parents of three state champions,” Beth said. “It was just an amazing experience to watch these kids from kindergarten all the way to senior year, and to win a state championship is just so mind-blowing.”

Published on January 28, 2025 at 10:03 pm

Contact Henry: hdaley@syr.edu