Central Washington University Athletics

Miles King

ELLENSBURG, Wash. (Feb. 22) -- Growing up in their hometown of Hilo, Hawaii, Central Washington University women's basketball guards Aliyah and Alexis Pana have carried their sibling rivalry into their collegiate careers.
 
Playing on the same team throughout their youth with their father as the coach, the duo conflicted on and off the court. Their father would have to separate the sisters at practice and sometimes, heated one-on-one matches would go beyond the court.
 
"I always liked to shove it in her face," said Alexis when she would win. "We would take it home too and she would be so mad. We wouldn't talk to each other at home."
 
Alexis, a junior and the younger of the two, was recruited to Central while head coach Randi Richardson-Thornley was just an assistant coach. Former head coach Jeff Harada was familiar with Alexis and the Hawaii basketball scene. For Alexis, it was a big deal to get out of her hometown.
 
"Not so many people get the opportunity from Hawaii in general to go to the next level" Alexis said. "I just worked for it and all my life that's what my dad was preparing me for."
 
Aliyah, a senior guard originally committed to play basketball with the local University of Hawaii, Hilo team. However, she ultimately decided before her redshirt season she didn't want to stay home and transferred to play at a junior college in New Jersey.
 
After a year of playing on the east coast, Aliyah wasn't ready to return to Hawaii, but missed her family. Alexis encouraged her sister to join her at Central.
 
"I'd never heard of Central Washington before she decided to come here," Aliyah said. "She [Alexis] had a lot of influence. I wasn't ready to go home."
 
After transferring to Central, Aliyah became a team manager for the women's team. For two years she watched her sister play on the court and although she enjoyed her success, she didn't get the chance to play herself; or so she thought. Aliyah approached Richardson-Thornley about a tryout.
 
"Last year, I think she started missing hoops, so she came to my office in the spring and asked me. I was a little surprised," Richardson-Thornley said. "We tried her out, and she can [play]. We were really ecstatic to have her."
 
Now playing together once again, the two have toned down their competiveness on the court. The pair have matured and according to Richardson-Thornley, the rest of the team doesn't see that side of them much in practice.
 
"They're pretty good at keeping that stuff to themselves," Richardson-Thornley said. "They definitely are two very competitive people. It's pretty fun to watch them go at it at practice when they get to guard each other."
 
Although the sisters have restrained themselves in practice, they still get after it off the court on their own time.
 
"When we go to the SURC, we'll go one-on-one and play in the post," Aliyah said. "We toned it down for practices here, but then outside we'll still play competitive."
 
While the Pana sisters are competitive off the court, ultimately, the pair support each other. While a team manager, Aliyah had trouble restraining her excitement when Alexis was playing well. When Aliyah is having a great game, Alexis is the most excited of her teammates.
 
According to Alexis, their father will be in attendance for Aliyah's final home game. With senior night approaching, Richardson-Thornley believes it will be an emotional night for everyone.
 
"I've known both; Aliyah for three and Sadie for four [years], so I think senior night is going to be a tough one," Richardson-Thornley said. "I think it's also going to be a tough one for Lex [Alexis] especially, knowing that her sister is going to be graduating and moving on."