Paul Smeaton | 16th November 2011

EIGHTEEN years after they picked up their first basketball, twins Courtney and Jessica Taylor have become the "Dynamic Duo" of the Ipswich Force.

The two girls share point-guard duties for the Ipswich QBL team but despite being the same height and playing the same position, that's where the similarities end.

Jessica describes herself as the shooter with sister Courtney the team's speed demon who "can beat anyone from one end of the court to the other".

But it's not just on the court that the two 22-year-olds differ.

Not long into a conversation, you quickly realise Jessica is the extrovert of this pair of non-identical twins.

That personality trait also extends to the court where Jessica can be found most afternoons honing her three-point shooting skills. "I've always loved basketball, I still come down and shoot around most afternoons," Jessica said.

"I'm actually a sport fanatic, I played 13 different sports at school. School for me was just an excuse to play sport."

Courtney on the other hand is more relaxed in the way she approaches the game she loves.

Working full-time as a massage therapist, Courtney has less time to devote to "shooting around" than her sister these days, but you get the impression she wouldn't be there as much even if she did.

It's hardly surprising the pint-sized sisters have developed such a love for the game when you consider mum Lyn manages the Bundamba stadium.

In fact Lyn has been running indoor sports centres since the twins were just toddlers.

Older brother and sister Ben and Emma were squash players, with Emma once holding a national ranking in the sport.

Lyn said all her children had a love of sport but it was clear early on the twins had a particular love of basketball. "They both started playing basketball when they were about four," Lyn said.

"They loved it so much they would do cart-wheels off the court when they were subbed off."

Even now with their school days behind them, the Karana Downs twins still spend much of their time together.

The girls play both netball and basketball together most weeks and it's clear they still enjoy having each other around.

But what about that "sixth sense" between twins that is so often spoken about in sporting circles? "No, I don't think it really exists," Courtney said.

"Although sometimes we do find ourselves saying the same thing at the same time."

Perhaps it's less about the girls communicating telepathically and more about the fact they've lived in each other's pockets for 22 years.

Having played so much sport together, the girls admit to being pretty competitive on the rare occasion they line up on opposition teams. Perhaps that's a good thing though, at least for their competition.

The girls' chuckle as they recall the amount of times their opponents have forfeited local games to avoid the on-court double act.

So after 18 years of backyard battles, the big question remains.

Who would win a game of one-on-one between the two basketball devotees?

Surprisingly they both respond with quizzical looks, it seems they don't know or perhaps care.

For the sake of household harmony, maybe that's best.