Since they were 4 years old, twins Gabby and Maddy Guillory have been playing sports side by side, developing a close connection that has allowed them to excel.

“Every day we’re with each other,” Maddy Guillory said. “We’ve basically gone through everything together, like the highs and lows of winning seasons, losing seasons.

“We’ve just been a part of everything. So it’s always great to have somebody by your side through everything.”
Maybe there is even a little of the mythical twin telepathy.

“We do have a little bit of twin telepathy going on,” Maddy said. “But, also, when you start at the age of 4 together and you’re with each other 24/7, never apart, it’s pretty easy for that to happen. There’s a lot of plays that happen just off of twin telepathy.”

And they are strengthened by the other’s success.

“(I like) always having someone on the court that you already know what they’re about to do, chemistry,” Gabby said. “I really like it when she shoots it. It pumps me up when she shoots the 3-ball.”

At Westlake High School, the two-sport stars have used their athletic abilities to bring success to the basketball and volleyball teams.

“It’s a fun dynamic to watch those two,” Westlake volleyball and basketball head coach Gloria Fontenot said. “The chemistry and the dynamics between them on and off the court. It’s really neat to watch that as a coach.

“They’re great leaders on and off the court. They’re the ones who push their teammates and hold them to a higher standard because they hold themselves to a higher standard. So that kind of rubs off on the team.”

As four-year starters on the basketball court, they have led the Rams to the playoffs three times and back-to-back 20-win seasons, including the program’s second semifinal run in program history last season.

Fontenot had to do a little convincing to get the twins to join the volleyball team. They took the challenge and led the Rams to three consecutive winning seasons, and in November, their first state tournament appearance since 2019.

“They’re both really fun sports,” Gabby said. “I’m a competitive person, so I like to compete in whatever.

“When I got to basketball, it wasn’t hard to get in shape as it would be if I wasn’t playing volleyball at all.”
For their last act at Westlake, they are hoping to lead the Rams to another deep playoff run. The Rams are 11-4 and ranked sixth in the Non-select Division III power ratings.

“(You need to) have confidence in yourself and always have confidence,” Gabby said. “Confidence is key. If you don’t have confidence, then it’ll probably lead you to other places, not state. As long as we play hard enough and work hard enough in practice, then I think we can make a run again.”

They flew under the radar somewhat last season, but now teams are using defensive schemes to key on the twins. In response, the pair are dishing out nearly 10 assists a game to get their teammates more involved and spread out the defenses thrown at them.

“I think we saw it a little bit last year, especially in that semifinal game, but this year we started seeing it more at the beginning, and now teams constantly are starting to do that every game,” Maddy said. “It’s made a world of difference that we’ve gotten better with playmaking and trying to get our teammates open.

“Sometimes the ball should be in our hands, but also there’s a lot of times that they are the open people and they’re the ones that should be taking the shots.”

Gabby, a shooting guard whose aggressiveness makes her a threat in the paint, is averaging 19.8 points, 5.4 rebounds, 3.8 assists and 5.6 steals per game and surpassed 1,000 career points earlier in the season. Maddy, the team’s point guard, is averaging 11.7 points, 4.5 rebounds, 5.9 assists and 2.9 steals per game.

“(Maddy) knows where to play and the angles to take and where to play so she can play (against) fast guards that are good with the ball that can dribble,” Fontenot said. “Gabby is just so fast and athletic, and she has developed her game tremendously from where she started.

“They will get their team involved. They have no problems giving up the ball. They’re not selfish at all. They are the two most unselfish kids I have coached. They are constantly praising the others or telling them, you’re open, shoot it.”