SAN DIEGO — Sisters, you got to love them, right?

Even though — as Gizel and Itzel Navarro will tell you — they might get on your nerves.

“Sometimes it can get chaotic,” Itzel said with a laugh. “We get into fights and arguments, but it’s nice knowing I have literal family in my corner.”

During practice at Cathedral Catholic, they can be found battling it out one on one. Their sisterly quips echoing through the air.

“That’s my move,” Itzel will say.

“You got lucky,” Gizel will counter.

“We get into arguments every practice. Every game like it happens, it’s going to happen,” Gizel said. “But it’s good having someone who knows me so well.”

And it’s been that way their entire lives. For the Navarro family, basketball is family. The two are third-generation players.

“When I was little, we would always watch my dad and my uncle play and my grandpa, too,” Gizel said. “So, I always just loved the game from when I was little.”

They grew up on the court side by side with basketball, always their shared passion.

In fact, it is what brought them here to Cathedral Catholic; although getting to this court is not the most typical of everyday school commutes.

Born in Mexico, the girls moved to the United States at 5 and 6 years old, before moving back to be closer to family.

“My family and I, we live in Tijuana, Mexico. We live about five minutes from the border,” Itzel said. “We wake up around three or four in the morning and my dad gets us across.”

Every day, making the same route, all for an opportunity to get better and to do more.

“My dad found out about the school, that it had a really good basketball team and academics, so he thought it would be best to go to school here rather than in Mexico,” Gizel said.

“It’s really all for the bigger picture,” Itzel added.

A picture with basketball at the center.

Over their high school careers, the two siblings have played a huge role in the Dons’ success.

Giz as the star defender.

“She is just the best defender I know,” Itzel said of her sister. “She makes me so much better.”

And Izzy, the leader, the ball handler.

“From her game, I definitely take away offense,” Gizel said.

Together, a bond that you really cannot replicate, and one that translates to the rest of the team as well.

“I know every game I go out on, I’m comfortable knowing I have my sister with me,” Itzel said. 

“It makes us special because everyone gets to see the type of bond we have and we know each other so well,” Gizel said. “You’re able to just be with family.”

But what’s really special about these two is the example they’ve set, proving to other young girls everywhere that they can play any sport they want to.

“I feel like it opened a lot more doors,” Gizel explained. “I see a lot of girls in Mexico and they’re inspired by my sister and I, knowing they can make it to this level too.”

“I think I’m showing them to have dedication and passion for whatever you do,” Itzel echoed. “Just be the best at it.”

For these two, it is the game of basketball. Two sisters sharing a love for one court.