With 11:01 remaining in BG’s 80-51 victory over UNC Greensboro, BG senior Sarah Clapper lined up a 3-pointer from the right side and drained the bucket for her only points of the night.
The basket gave BG a 60-39 lead and allowed more than 30 of her family and friends, most wearing orange and blue tie-dye shirts, to give a minor standing ovation.
On the ensuing time-out, the Clapper family had even more to cheer about, as Sarah’s younger sister Amy, a redshirt-freshman center for UNC Greensboro entered the contest.
‘This a dream come true, to have them both playing Division I basketball on the same court,’ said their mother, Cheryl Clapper.
Sarah and Amy were on the court together for exactly two minutes, but for those two minutes it was the first time the sisters had played in a game together since they were in high school.
‘It was fun,’ Sarah said. ‘I haven’t played with her in almost four years now. And it’s good to see her, especially just being healthy.’
The sibling rivalry almost took place last season when BG won 71-53 at UNC Greensboro, but due to injuries, both Clappers missed the game.
Prior to the BG-UNCG matchup last season, Chris Clapper, Sarah and Amy’s father, created orange and blue tie-dye shirts with both teams’ logos on the front and Sarah’s No. 34 and Amy’s No. 44 on the back.
‘Those are my dad’s workings down in his basement office,’ Sarah said. ‘That’s exciting, and I’m impressed that they could come up with it.’
According to Chris, about 10 family members made the trip to UNC Greensboro last season, with most of the family wearing the custom-made shirts.
Friday, the shirts were back in full force, as the Clapper family stood out in the middle of the stands with their signature shirts.
But while their numbers were close on the back of the shirts, Sarah and Amy avoided each being to close to each other on the court.
‘It’s nice that she’s not the same position as I am, so we’re not one-on-one with each other all the time,’ Amy said. ‘But we try not to look at each other when we’re on the floor because every once in a while you crack a smile in there.’
While Amy’s reunion with her sister came on the court, she got to spend time with the rest of her family a day earlier, as the Clapper family hosted the UNC Greensboro team for Thanksgiving.
And if there was anything for Sarah to be thankful for, it was getting the opportunity to play against her sister in her final collegiate season.
‘I think it just gets our team excited. It’s almost something more to play for than the wins or the loss,’ Sarah said. ‘It’s something a little more, I wanted to get some bragging rights, especially now that I’m done.”