Timber Creek duo follow in sisters' footsteps

Brittany Martin was just a spectator, watching big sister Jasmine's defining performance.

Jasmine Martin, The Inquirer's South Jersey girls' basketball Player of the Year for 2010-11, scored 29 points, hit all 14 of her foul shots, and drained a three-pointer at the buzzer in regulation - while being triple-teamed - before leading Timber Creek to an overtime victory over Kingsway in the playoffs last season.

As it did for most who saw it, the game stayed with Brittany Martin.

"Watching it from the stands, you just think, 'Wow, maybe that could be me some day,' " she said. "I want to have that moment. I want a game like that in my high school career."

Amanda Riiff had similar experiences watching her sister Alexis, a standout senior guard for the Chargers last season.

Now, Amanda Riiff, a 5-foot-3 sophomore point guard, and Brittany Martin, a 5-4 freshman shooting guard, are leading Timber Creek (4-3) just as their sisters did before them.

They are the Chargers' top players. And both are determined to follow in the footsteps of their siblings, and perhaps go even farther.

"With them not on the team this year, Brittany and I knew, as a freshman and sophomore, that we didn't want there to be a drop-off," Amanda Riiff said. "We wanted to continue at as high a level as possible.

"And watching our sisters taught us how to step up."

Chargers coach Donna Clark didn't hesitate to thrust the weight of the team on the shoulders of her two young stars.

During games, the coach reminds the two guards that the offense runs through them, that they need to take leadership roles. And so far, she's pleased with the results.

"I definitely think they were able to pick up some of those leadership qualities, and some of the qualities that it takes to play at the varsity level, from watching their sisters," Clark said.

Amanda Riiff is already a team captain. She is the prototypical point guard: a strong defender and dribbler who complements her inside game with an accurate outside shot.

Brittany Martin already shows flashes of being a dynamic all-around player like Jasmine, now one of Quinnipiac's leading scorers as a freshman guard. Brittany Martin leads Timber Creek in scoring, averaging more than 15 points.

She can drive to the basket and hit long-range jumpers. Clark expects that, with a few tweaks to her mid-range game, and a few inches in height, Brittany Martin will be one of the more dangerous players in South Jersey over the next three-plus seasons.

While Timber Creek has won back-to-back Olympic Conference Patriot Division titles, a Group 3 sectional championship has been elusive. But as they have always been, the expectations are there.

Both young players have dreamed about meeting those expectations.

They practiced in the hallways and shot during halftime together when their sisters were in middle school and played on the same team. After that, they played together in middle school.

"Brittany and I were always together," Amanda Riiff said. "We always knew how each other played and what we need to do to be successful."

Said Brittany Martin: "It helps a lot that we grew up together. We can read each other on the court."

The two already show remarkable chemistry for a pair who have played just seven varsity games together. And while both are clearly growing into their own as players, they do so with inspiration from their sisters.

"When they were here," Brittany Martin said, "they were always hustling, always working hard, and they never gave up.

"If we do the same thing, we know we'll be successful."