Coyer twins help Oakton Cougars remain undefeated

Caroline and Katherine Coyer have played more than 1,000 basketball games together, from their first team, the youth league Blue Dolphins, to their latest, the fifth-ranked Oakton Cougars.

Through those years, the twins shared a connection so strong they declared themselves a package deal for college recruiters, eventually both signing to play at Villanova.

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So as Katherine ran the baseline with less than 30 seconds left in the first quarter of the Cougars’ 54-45 victory over Robinson, just two points away from 1,000 for her career, it only made sense that the pass she received to knock down the points would come from her sister.

And it would feel even more right that that same pass also marked a milestone moment for Caroline: her 532nd career assist, a new Virginia AAA record.

“It’s pretty great,” said Katherine Coyer, who finished with 17 points. “Me and Caroline were talking about it and how cool it’d be but we didn’t think it’d be able to happen.”

While it was announced during the game that the basket was Katherine’s 1,000th career point, it wasn’t until after the win that the significance of the corresponding assist was revealed. Only then did the sisters realize what they had accomplished together.

Or so they claimed.

“Wait, all right, I’m going to let it out, we planned it, we did,” Caroline joked. “No, but I actually did think about it before the game, like, ‘That’d be really cool.’ But the chances of that happening were slim. But it happened. It’s that telepathy thing.”

While the early moment held a strong personal significance, the most valuable moments provided by the Coyer twins came in the final minutes of the Virginia AAA Concorde District game.

Robinson (15-5, 6-2) came to Vienna hoping to replicate an upset road win it had accomplished two years prior. Led by Megan Green (15 points) and Tyler Hansen (six points, five rebounds), the Rams’ unrelenting energy gave the Cougars all they could handle.

Oakton (20-0, 8-0) called a timeout with 3 minutes 48 seconds left in the game, clinging to a 46-42 lead. Over the next few possessions, the Coyers scored their team’s final eight points to help the team remain undefeated.

Afterward, the fact that the twins were able to share such important career accomplishments together took on more meaning than the vital district win.

“Hopefully that all comes with us to the next level,” said Caroline Coyer, who scored a game-high 20 points. “And I’m so happy we’re going to be able to bring that to our next team.”