Timber Creek duo follow in sisters' footsteps

Brittany Martin was just a spectator, watching big sister Jasmine's defining performance.

Jasmine Martin, The Inquirer's South Jersey girls' basketball Player of the Year for 2010-11, scored 29 points, hit all 14 of her foul shots, and drained a three-pointer at the buzzer in regulation - while being triple-teamed - before leading Timber Creek to an overtime victory over Kingsway in the playoffs last season.

As it did for most who saw it, the game stayed with Brittany Martin.

"Watching it from the stands, you just think, 'Wow, maybe that could be me some day,' " she said. "I want to have that moment. I want a game like that in my high school career."

Amanda Riff had similar experiences watching her sister Alexis, a standout senior guard for the Chargers last season.

Now, Amanda Riff, a 5-foot-3 sophomore point guard, and Brittany Martin, a 5-4 freshman shooting guard, are leading Timber Creek (4-3) just as their sisters did before them.

They are the Chargers' top players. And both are determined to follow in the footsteps of their siblings, and perhaps go even farther.

"With them not on the team this year, Brittany and I knew, as a freshman and sophomore, that we didn't want there to be a drop-off," Amanda Riff said. "We wanted to continue at as high a level as possible.

"And watching our sisters taught us how to step up."

Chargers coach Donna Clark didn't hesitate to thrust the weight of the team on the shoulders of her two young stars.

During games, the coach reminds the two guards that the offense runs through them, that they need to take leadership roles. And so far, she's pleased with the results.

"I definitely think they were able to pick up some of those leadership qualities, and some of the qualities that it takes to play at the varsity level, from watching their sisters," Clark said.

Amanda Riff is already a team captain. She is the prototypical point guard: a strong defender and dribbler who complements her inside game with an accurate outside shot.

Brittany Martin already shows flashes of being a dynamic all-around player like Jasmine, now one of Quinnipiac's leading scorers as a freshman guard. Brittany Martin leads Timber Creek in scoring, averaging more than 15 points.

She can drive to the basket and hit long-range jumpers. Clark expects that, with a few tweaks to her mid-range game, and a few inches in height, Brittany Martin will be one of the more dangerous players in South Jersey over the next three-plus seasons.