With four juniors in the starting five and just two seniors on the roster, Sandburg is still sorting things out at the varsity level.
But two Eagles have had a strong bond for years, for obvious reasons — Will and Jonah Johnson are identical twins.
“Telepathy, I guess you can say,” Jonah Johnson said. “Since we competed against and with each other for so long, we just connect more.”
The Johnsons combined for 19 of Sandburg’s 21 third-quarter points in a 72-59 loss to Hoffman Estates in the title game of the Maine East Holiday Tournament on Dec. 30.
“It’s a game of streaks and they are a good team,” Sandburg coach John Daniels said. “I thought we responded really well — we cut it to four but sort of ran out of gas at the end.”
The Eagles trailed by 15 early before rallying.
“(Daniels) said to keep competing and play with a chip on your shoulder,” Jonah Johnson said. “We had to play hard and we have to represent the suburbs we are from.”
Jonah Johnson had a team-high 17 points to go along with six rebounds, two steals and a blocked shot.
Will Johnson was one of two all-tournament selections for the Eagles. He had 15 points, eight rebounds and two blocks against Hoffman Estates, and delivered the game-winner in the opening round against Maine East.
“We had to stay focused,” Will Johnson said. “Our key advantage was we know we can play at a higher level than what we were playing before so (it’s a matter of) just flipping that switch.”
Connor Gleason scored eight points in the loss. He also earned all-tournament honors with his strong offensive play including a 19-point performance against Grayslake North.
Outside of basketball the twins share a common love for video games. Some of their favorites include Roblox, Fortnite, Valorant and Minecraft. The experience gained from playing these strategy games is something the Johnsons have tried to apply to basketball as well.
“For us, since we are playing together, we click with each other immediately,” Will Johnson said. “In the games, it’s the same thing. We can play at a higher level, work on reaction time and speed which helps us make quicker decisions by not wasting time.”
The twins are known to be hard workers in the classroom and in the gym.
“They are workaholics. They want to play in college and that’s their goal,” Daniels said. “Off the court, I talk about school and that grades are important. And they are working hard in the classroom.”
Daniels often sees the Johnson twins spending time in the gym together away from practice. Over time, more and more Eagles have joined in, which has helped
“We are trying to make our team better by making us better,” Jonah said. “And once we do, we can play at a higher level.”