Go back more than two decades to Central Valley High School in Buxton, N.D. and you can start to see the groundwork for Friday night's matchup between the University of Minnesota Morris women's basketball team and the University of Northwestern. Rick Sondrol – a high school teacher and the school's head basketball coach – was in need of help on his coaching staff and he had the perfect candidate right in his own classroom. A Mayville State University men's basketball player was student teaching for Sondrol and looking to get a coaching career started. His name was Tim Grove.

Time went on as it does and Sondrol lost track of whatever happened to Grove. Rick and his wife, Lori, would have two children, Jadyn and Jasmine. Jadyn, the older daughter by two years, turned into a starter at Red River High School in Grand Forks, N.D. by her junior season. Looking into schools that fit academically and athletically as she pursued a college basketball career, the Sondrols keyed in on a couple of nearby programs. One was Concordia (Moorhead) and the other was Minnesota Morris. When Rick looked up the Cougar women's basketball program on the school's website, he got quite a surprise.

"As we looked through schools we saw he was the head coach and it was like 'oh, we have to go check out Minnesota Morris,'" Rick explained. "So we set up a visit and Jadyn really liked Tim, liked Lulu (Seelye), liked the program and the campus and it was an academic fit and the Division III aspect allowed us to feel like she would get a well-rounded time as a college student."

For Jadyn, the chance to move just a little bit further away from home made the difference. "I wanted to go a little farther away because I didn't want to be so close that I was constantly going back home," she said. "Morris was three hours away which was perfect because I could go home on weekends but not like every night."

Growing up, the two-year gap was enough so that Jadyn and Jasmine were not often on the same teams whether it be basketball, soccer, volleyball, or any other of their activities. There were plenty of shootarounds and games on the hoop set up in the backyard, but rarely did the two suit up for the same team at the same time. Only in Jadyn's senior year at Red River did the pair get a chance to play together after Jasmine was named to the varsity team. That often created a scenario in which Jasmine was following in her sister's footsteps.

With Jadyn off making an immediate impact at Minnesota Morris in her freshman and COVID-shortened sophomore season, Jasmine had more of a chance to grow into her own as her high school career blossomed. When looking to make her college decision, the pair discussed the possibility of playing together, but Jasmine ultimately settled on having a college experience in a larger city and without the burden of coming in again as the younger sister.

"I kind of avoided Morris because I thought it would continue to be a 'Jadyn's little sister' kind of thing," said Jasmine. "Not that it was a bad thing, but it was nice for me to go off on my own. When I started looking at Northwestern, it opened up the chance to play against each other and that has been really fun."

Well, fun for one of them anyway. Coming in as a freshman in 2021-22, Jasmine and the Eagles got the better of Jadyn and the Cougars in five straight matchups, including in the semifinals of last year's UMAC Tournament which Northwestern ultimately won to earn the conference's automatic bid into the NCAA Tournament. That might have been the end of Jadyn's career, but with the NCAA COVID waiver available to her, Jadyn ran it back for a fifth season in a quest to get her team back on top of the UMAC. The UNW winning streak in the series ended last month when Minnesota Morris pulled away late for a 61-52 home win.

"The last couple of seasons, we played Northwestern right before the holidays and then when we had family getting together and they would ask how our seasons were going, Jasmine would always slip in that her team had beaten us," said Jadyn. "It was nice to pick that win up in January against them and we definitely keep it going back and forth about who has the upper hand."

It wouldn't be a family rivalry if Jasmine didn't have a comeback to that. "I'll joke with her because it's her fifth year and be like you had to cheat to get a win, but otherwise I try to stay quiet about it unless someone asks."

By this point you may have thought about what it would be like to be parents of two daughters competing against each other in the same conference. But before we dive into that, spare a thought for the Sondrol family vehicle. Grand Forks to Morris is about three hours one way, while a trip to the Twin Cities is closer to five. Then there are the road trips to the Mankato or Duluth areas. And of course, those drive times are with good driving conditions, something that Minnesota is not always known for from the months of November through February.

"This year has been great because the weather has been good and hasn't affected travel," Lori said. "Last year we ended up going on one particular trip because going to see the other team play would have meant traveling through a blizzard. So weather has definitely factored in before on where we end up going."

A typical winter weekend for Rick and Lori involves a trip to see one of their daughters play on both Friday night and Saturday afternoon. With one game going on in front of them, the smartphone ends up being the connection to what is happening elsewhere. The pattern repeats itself the following weekend but at the other daughter's contests. 

Twice a year and sometimes more, the schedule conspires to bring both schools together as it will on Friday night. All four Sondrols agree on some variation of a theme; this is not the fun-filled evening you would hope it would be for Rick and Lori. Let's hear from all of them.

Jasmine: "I think it's not the most exciting for them when we play each other because they know one of us is going to lose."

Jadyn: "It's easy when we're not playing each other because they just want us to go 2-0 every weekend. When we play each other, I think they're there and they're just not cheering for anyone. They want everyone to score and for it to be 100-100. They're just trying to experience it and not favor one of us over the other."

Lori: "It's hard to celebrate the win, because you know you have a daughter who just lost and they're disappointed. You're happy for the team that won but you know how the other side feels."

Rick: "You would think it would be like the most wonderful time but really it isn't. You know the kids, the coaches, the parents, and you're happy that one group won but you're hurting for the group that lost. It's hard to cheer loudly for one when it means cheering against the other. It doesn't feel like a win-win situation."

Those sentiments will be as true as ever on Friday night with the postseason implications at stake. That earlier win by Minnesota Morris has helped the Cougars to a 9-3 UMAC record, good for second place as the regular season winds down. Who's that on their tail? That would be Northwestern at 8-4 in conference play. If current seeds hold, the two teams are in line to meet again in a week in a UMAC Tournament semifinal, though that is still subject to change depending on how this last weekend of action plays out. Beyond that, there are still hosting implications at stake as the No. 2 seed would get the luxury of a home contest against the No. 3 seed in that Feb. 21 elimination game.

So on Friday if you're in the stands at Northwestern or watching on the video stream, keep your eyes peeled for the Sondrols in the stands. Lori will be the one in the sweatshirt that's half Minnesota Morris and half Northwestern. Collectively, they'll be the couple sitting together looking like they're enduring a 90-minute root canal.

Despite the discomfort associated with this matchup, both are still on board with the choices their daughters have made with their college education. Said Rick, "I've got to compliment both Tim Grove and (Northwestern head coach) Aaron Kahl because they're both great coaches that do a wonderful job not only making the kids fit in but just the chemistry they create. Jadyn has great teammates and Jasmine has great teammates and I think they've both made wonderful decisions."

Alright, Jadyn. You get the last word. This is MorrisCougars.com after all. Any advice for Jasmine this weekend? 

"They played over Christmas break in California this year and I went along with. I was watching her play and saying 'oh she needs to shoot more' or 'she needs to turn and make a move.' She's six feet tall and she's put on muscle as well so she just needs to be aggressive and confident in herself when she plays. Except against us."