Pandora-Gilboa senior Colin Harris drives to the basket against Perry’s Za’mere Daniel on Friday night in Lima.
Nate Reynolds | The Lima News
PANDORA — They’ve been on the court together for Pandora-Gilboa since they were freshmen.
They’ve been together off the course since, well, literally the day they were born.
Aiden Harris and Colin Harris are identical twins with an identical passion for basketball.
“We both try to be good at what we can do to try to help the team out,” said Colin Harris, a 6-foot-2 wing. “If it helps the team, it’s what we’ve tried to do.”
For the Rockets, that means making sure Aiden Harris gets the ball, after tallying 17.7 points, 4.3 rebounds and 2.2 assists per game last year.
“Scoring has always been there for me,” Aiden Harris said. “But rebounding’s something I’m improving.”
The Rockets won at Perry, 54-41, on Friday before winning at Ayersville, 68-39, last weekend. On Friday, they open their Blanchard Valley Conference schedule at home against Arcadia.
Hopes are high for the Rockets, who finished 18-5 last year and have three three-year letter winners back, including the Harris brothers and Aidan Morris.
“You’re taking a chance when you decide to start freshmen,” said Pandora-Gilboa coach Mike Lee, whose team won both of their league championships two years ago. “You hope you have the right leaders to make it work.”
Both were recognized for fine seasons last year. Aiden Harris was all-Ohio honorable mention and first-team all-Blanchard Valley Conference and all-PCL last year. He also hit a team-high 34 3-pointers in the 2022-23 season.
Colin Harris was second-team all-Blanchard Valley Conference and all-Putnam County League last year after averaging 9.2 points, 5 rebounds and 4.5 assists per game last year.
They’re both off to strong starts this year. Colin Harris scored 10 points and had three rebounds against Perry. Aiden Harris scored a team-high 26 points and had six rebounds and four steals against the Commodores.
“Aiden Harris, he’s a heck of a player,” Perry coach Thomas Nolte said. “I think he’s one of the better players in the area, and he’s going to have a good career going forward. We had a plan on him, but a kid like that, you can do all you want, he’s going to get his points.”
They’re happy to be back on the court again, together. Most of their basketball memories have been as a duo.
“It’s been fun,” said Colin Harris, who’s been working on taking advantage of his scoring opportunities. “We get to go home and talk about the game that we played, talking about who we’re playing. We can scout together.”
It’s been especially fun that the core of Pandora-Gilboa’s team has been together over the past 10 years, since they played together in elementary school. They have seven seniors on the varsity roster, including the three co-captains who’ve played since they were freshmen.
Now the Rockets are trying to make the most of one last season together, with league championship dreams in their heads.
“We’re excited to be back on the court with our boys, with our family, and be able to play basketball again,” Colin Harris said.
Reach David Trinko at 567-242-0467 or on Twitter @Lima_Trinko.
