Teammates, best friends

CEDAR RAPIDS - Seniors Erin Drahozal and Lizzy Bailey have been best friends since the age of 2.

They now are seniors on the Xavier varsity girls' basketball team.

'There is a sense of competition being on the same team as your best friend,” Drahozal said. 'But we always work hard.”

The two have a special set of skills and know each others strengths and weaknesses.

'We always try to help each other get better,” Bailey said. 'We use each practice to improve on our own set of skills.”

Both girls see value in having their best friend play the same sport.

'I am always upfront on what Lizzy needs to work on,” Drahozal said. 'We can only get better by not sugarcoating what we have to improve on.”

Bailey appreciates the honesty she receives from her best friend, but also feels the pressure.

'Sometimes I do feel a sense of competition with my best friend,” Bailey said. 'We are always fighting to be first and that is hard.”

Having a best friend in same sport, can improve many parts of your game, but also can show a side of jealousy. A positive on the court can sometimes be a negative outside of the game.

'We are the best of friends and I love having Lizzy on the same team as me,” Drahozal said. 'It can sometimes hurt our friendship, though, because we are constantly fighting to improve our skills.”

The Saints (4-3) play at Cedar Rapids Jefferson on Friday.