The most important thing to know about Maple Grove’s Hanna triplets — Addie, Lexi and Bella — is not only are they fraternal and don’t look alike, but they thrive on their differences.
Except for their shared last name, a casual observer of the Maple Grove girls basketball team may never know they’re sisters, let alone triplets.
Addie, the oldest and shortest at 5-7, refuses to let her team slide. Lexi, the middle triplet born 30 seconds after Addie, is a silky-smooth 5-9 scorer who cherishes doing the little things. Bella, the youngest by 30 seconds and the tallest at 5-10, is the best passer of the three.
Together, the triplets are vital pieces of a core group of seven seniors that has Maple Grove on the cusp of its first girls basketball state championship.
The Crimson play Hopkins on Saturday at 8 p.m. at Williams Arena for the Class 4A state championship.
Maple Grove stands tall above the rest of the Class 4A field because of the dichotomy the Hanna sisters represent, head coach Mark Cook said.
“I’ve never met three girls who are so close and so alike in so many ways but then so different in so many ways,” Cook said. “Their personalities are very different. The way they handle themselves is very different. But the way that they’ve helped teach this team how to deal with conflict resolution and holding each other accountable and things like that have been so important.”
At home, the sisters have arguments about who is the best-dressed or the neatest, but those have led to their ability to coexist with others, including teammates, in a straightforward manner without hurting someone’s feelings.
