WARNER – Kyra and Lauren Marcuson have been surrounded by an athletic family of some form for most of their lives.

Whether it has been with their own family or the community, the twin sisters from Warner have been heavily involved in multiple sports since they were young, including soccer, volleyball, basketball, and tennis, among others. The involvement began with their parents early on in their lives.

“My dad’s been coaching for us for basketball, like (YMCA) basketball, back in the day,” Lauren said. “They’ve always been supportive with every sport that we’ve been in. They’ve always encouraged us to be in as many as we can. They think that being a well-rounded athlete will help with everything.”

However, once the girls got into middle school, the number of sports they participated in needed to be dwindled down.

“When we got to middle school, we had to pick between soccer and volleyball, because they were the same season,” Kyra said. “Then we came to Warner and no soccer at Warner, so we chose volleyball.”

Both of their parents, father Barry and mother Tricia (Tschetter) Marcuson, also participated in athletics at Warner. Barry was a member of the 1993 and ‘94 boys’ basketball championship teams for the Monarchs, while Tricia also played basketball for Warner. While the girls learned the game of basketball through their father’s coaching efforts, it took time to catch on to what he was teaching them.

“We used to think, ‘dad what are you talking about,’ as all kids do,” Kyra said. “But as we get older, we realize he knows his stuff, you have to listen to him. Obviously, he has two state championships, so he has to know his stuff. So, we started listening to him the older we got, and so he’s just always there supporting us.”

The years of experience playing together have naturally built chemistry between the two on the court, although occasionally the connection is not always there.

“Sometimes I think we’ve got a little bit of twin telepathy out there and then sometimes it falters a little,” Lauren said jokingly. “Most of the time it’s pretty easy to know what (Kyra’s) going to do. I mean, I know her personally and I know her on the court, so just predicting her moves is pretty good. And then trusting her out there too; she’s going to make threes, so I don’t mind giving it up for an assist.”

Lauren added that the two have progressed more and more in their chemistry since they were young, which has only made their connection stronger on the court.

“Just working with each other is where it really started,” Lauren said. “And then we keep progressing, we keep seeing how we progress. Kyra, her shooting in these last few years has been crazy, so just seeing that progress, and then her trusting me, me trusting her, it’s been really nice.”

Warner girls’ basketball coach Tina Winter said she has seen the pair develop into leaders during their careers.

“Kyra has definitely stepped up as a scoring threat. She was already that way last year as a junior, and unfortunately an injury took her out for a lot of the season, but she came back like nothing happened, and then it just continued into this year,” Winter said. “Lauren, I asked her at the beginning of the year to step up as more of a leader on the court, which is not something that she’s comfortable with at all. You can see it just watching that she’s absorbed that role and she does a very job of it. She controls the pace of the game, and controls her emotions.”

Kyra says she has been thankful to get to play with her sister throughout their careers.

“We have been separate for a little bit in the offseason for a couple of different sports, but for the most part we’ve played together,” Kyra said. “I’m so thankful because neither of us have ever had to sit out, so that is thankful for me because I can play with my sister throughout the whole thing.”

While Kyra declined to comment on who the better basketball and volleyball player is, Lauren did not hold back in admitting who is better.

“Kyra’s definitely better in basketball,” Lauren said with a laugh. “100 percent there.”

While the Marcuson’s have been focusing on the basketball season, they recently finished up their volleyball careers in November. While their senior season ended in bitter defeat in the Class B state championship match against Chester Area, Kyra and Lauren were a part of back-to-back state championships with the Monarchs in 2021 and 2022. Kyra said it has been a great experience being a part of the Warner volleyball program, which has been led by coach Kari Jung for more than two decades.

“Volleyball is an intense sport. You’re basically playing volleyball nine months out of the year,” Kyra said. “We’ve got a great coach and she always wants to get us involved with the little kids, and the little kids enjoy it as well. It’s just a great experience.”

While they are grateful for the coaches they have played under through the years, they are also thankful for the community of Warner and the support they have received during their athletic careers.

“We have so many supporters and I’m so grateful for that opportunity for all sports, boys and girls,” Lauren said. “The community is going to come out and support you whether they have a kid in it or not, and it’s really great.”

Kyra and Lauren will conclude their high school basketball careers this week as the Monarchs play in the Class B State Basketball Tournament in Rapid City. Warner enters as the sixth seed and will play Centerville at 7:45 p.m. (MDT) in the opening round on Thursday.

“It’s super exciting,” Lauren said of the state basketball opportunity. “It’s really something different. We’ve kept progressing every year. Last year was Sweet 16, the year before was second round of regions, so being able to one-up it again this year is super exciting.”

After they graduate this spring, both Kyra and Lauren will pursue college degrees in nursing. Kyra will attend Lake Area Tech and plans on returning to the Aberdeen-Warner area, while Lauren will be attending Northern State and playing volleyball, and plans on living in a smaller community, whether it be in Warner or somewhere else. And no matter where they end up, Kyra says putting on the Warner uniform has a uniqueness to it that cannot be matched.

“Warner is such a unique town,” Kyra said. “Looking at the stands and seeing all those people supporting you just gives you butterflies, but not the bad kind. It makes you just happy.”

Lauren echoed her sister’s remarks of being a part of a community and family such as Warner.

“We’ve grown up together for so many years now and it really brings you closer being in sports, too,” Lauren said. “Being outside of sports together, we’re with each other almost 24/7, so just having that almost family dynamic where we know each other, we love each other, and we’re just trying to support each other, it’s just been great.”