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Draper
Juan Diego twin girls' basketball stars Monique and Dominique Mills have been preparing for their senior season since they were a year old.
And it shows.
The Soaring Eagle are unbeaten, ranked No. 1 in Class 3A, and have wins over 5A Brighton and 4A Timpview this season. In a recent game against Union at Roosevelt, they became the first Utah girls' high school team to score over 100 points in a game since 2006. Their average victory margin this season has been just under 25 points.
Monique said the two sisters took up the game when they were 1 and never tired of it. Dominique said the two have developed what she calls "twin telepathy" on the court.
Knowing what each other is thinking on the court shows up in interesting ways. First-year Juan Diego coach Josh Archuleta said that in a recent game, Monique stole the ball on a fast break. As the opposing team tried to defend her, she bounced the ball off the backboard, where Dominique grabbed it and scored.
The Mills girls, who are fraternal and not identical but are both about 5-foot-11, have the ability to dominate games, not only with their scoring and rebounding, but with their defense, steals and assists. During a recent game against rival Morgan, the two were easily the most athletic players on the court.
Monique, who plays both guard positions, is averaging 22 points, 9.8 rebounds, five assists, three steals and two blocks a game. Dominique, a power forward, averages 17.6 points, eight rebounds and two assists.
The two say growing up and playing with and against each other has helped their games.
"We have a lot of competition," said Dominique. "We butt heads every now and then, but it's fun to play and get on each others' nerves about who scores the most points."
Monique offered similar sentiments.
"I have to score more than her," she said. "It's a competition every day. It pushes me more."
The sisters' other sport is track. Monique runs the sprint events while Dominique is a hurdler.
Archuleta, who spent the previous five years as the sophomores coach at Judge and ran the Salt Lake Lady Rebels AAU basketball program that included the Mills sisters, knew that he was inheriting a potential state championship team when he took over from Natalie Williams this season.
"I couldn't ask for a better situation to start with," he said. "Juan Diego is consistently good. It wins 85 percent of its games. Its shortcomings have come in the first round of the playoffs. We have some true leaders who have taken control to make sure this year is different. We have five seniors who keep us focused."
He said he notices that the Mills sisters — who also take six of their eight classes together (Monique likes history and Dominique personal finance) — work well together.
"You notice little things on court," he said. "They know where each other is at."
That can be especially true on offense.
"Sometimes I just know where she is going to be," Monique said about working with her sister.
That "twin telepathy" may not only get Juan Diego past the first round of state, where the Soaring Eagle have struggled, but lead the private Catholic school to its first girls' basketball state championship.
Twitter: @tribtomwharton