Because Amy Bernotas always goes to watch her three daughters play for Baldwin’s varsity girls basketball team, she rarely rewatches the online broadcasts of the game afterward. But she did after the team’s away game at Uniontown, and listening to the game announcers became an experience that was “just amazing,” she said.
The announcers at first were wondering whether the three Bernotas girls were sisters or cousins. Then they began referring to the sisters as the “Killer B’s,” which inspired Amy to make a shirt with three little bumblebees holding basketballs.
“It’s a very special moment when others can recognize the importance of this year regarding the Bernotas girls,” she said. “This year is the best year of my life, watching the three of them together. Nothing could be better.”
The Baldwin girls basketball team’s success has been a full-team effort this year, with the Highlanders bound for WPIAL playoffs at 7 p.m. Friday at home against Chartiers Valley. But the three Bernotas sisters – senior starter Laci, junior starter Lynsey, and freshman Alia, who gets a lot of varsity playing time – have contributed a lot.
An older sister, Lexi Bernotas, played for Baldwin and graduated in 2021 before going on to play at Chatham University. It’s clear that basketball is huge for this family.
Before the Bernotas sisters shared the varsity court for Baldwin, they were already spending their childhoods in gyms, building the chemistry and love for basketball that now helps fuel the team.
“Throughout our younger years, my dad was my sister’s coach,” Laci Bernotas said, referring to Lexi. “So he would let us be in the gym while my sister was getting reps in, or allowed us to be at her games and be in another gym to get reps in.”
Their work ethic drives their success.
“We definitely do practices at home. We also go to this place called Shoot 360, where we like to go and shoot together and practice,” Alia Bernotas said.
Lexi Bernotas thinks her three younger sisters are competitive with each other and inspire each other to be the best.
“We do occasionally play outside in the summer, but when we do, they usually don’t stand a chance against me,” she joked. “Lynsey and I both get extremely competitive.”
Alia Bernotas acknowledges the sisters’ competitive spirit, but she believes their success is more based on the close bond they have as sisters.
“Lynsey is very competitive, and Laci is not as competitive,” Alia said. “But even then, we’re not very competitive. We have a super close bond, all four of us, so we’re just really close.”
And that bond helps the sisters bring energy to practices and games.
“Honestly, the energy we bring, being able to have fun on the court and also at practices, we just have a different type of chemistry than any other,” Alia said.
It isn’t that uncommon to have two siblings on the same varsity team in high school athletics. But three siblings is a lot rarer. Sometimes, all three Bernotas girls are on the court at the same time, playing together for Baldwin.
“I think about it a lot, actually,” Lynsey Bernotas said. “It’s surreal to be with my sisters doing what I love. Being on the court at the same time as both my sisters is a memory I will remember forever.”
Laci Bernotas said playing with her siblings is meaningful to her.
“It’s hard to explain, but it’s really meaningful. No one really gets to experience being on the court with their other sisters, and just being able to mess up and know that they’re not sitting and talking bad about me,” Laci said. “They’re always picking me up, and it’s really nice to have that bond.”
Alia agrees.
“We always have each other’s back, and we’re always going through any mistakes we make, and we’re always cheering each other on,” Alia said.
The three sisters all contribute to each other’s success.
“Laci really gets on Lynsey and yells at her, and I’d say that’s really good. And then Lynsey really gets on Alia a lot. I’d say it’s like a trickle down effect,” Coach Jamal Woodson said.
As a senior, Laci sets an example for her two sisters.
“Laci is probably the smartest basketball player out of all three. I think it has a lot to do with her just being the older one. She sees the court very, very well,” Woodson said.
Lynsey, the junior, is an enormous contributor to the team and, of the three sisters, has been the most efficient scorer.
“Lynsey had a 36-point game, which was a huge win against Trinity,” Woodson said.
Alia, the freshman, has drawn attention for the amount of time she gets on the court, especially as a first-year varsity player on such a skilled team.
“Just seeing Alia excel at every practice – she practices against Lynsey and Laci all the time, and she goes so hard against them, like she has something to prove,” Woodson said.
Jacey Howard, a junior on the team, said the sisters unite the Highlanders.
“They bring the team together a lot, because they are able to connect with everyone,” Howard said. “We’re a close team because of it.”
Each sister brings a great awareness of the game, Howard said.
“Their basketball IQ and the way they connect on the court, they always know where to be on the court,” Howard said.
Family has been a driving force in the girls’ success in basketball. Their father, Mark Bernotas, played basketball, and years later, he introduced his four daughters to the sport.
“It was a passion I had that – having four daughters – was something that I just happened to expose them to,” Mark Bernotas said. “To be able to share my time with my daughters with my passion, for us to share – there aren’t many who can say that.”
When they were younger, he coached them, as well as some of their current Baldwin teammates.
“It’s not just my girls that I’ve been able to coach. I’ve been able to coach Jacey (Howard) and Bella (Niles) over the years,” he said.
This year has been very special, Mark said.
“The three of them being on the same court at the same time has made my heart smile because I’ve spent so much time with them,” he said. “I’ve coached Lexi and her friends, Laci and her friends, Lindsay and her friends. How many fathers can say that? It’s very humbling, but it’s very gratifying.”
The girls’ mom, Amy Bernotas, has gotten the same satisfaction from the experience, even though she never played basketball herself.
“Mark was the influence on the kids, and he always said they would play. So I knew from a young age they would,” Amy Bernotas said. “I have grown a sincere love for the game, watching my kids play their whole lives.”
She has spent many hours travelling to support her daughters.
“I am the only person who does all the traveling for AAU, so it gets very hectic. We travel to Atlantic City, Cincinnati, and Kentucky multiple times,” Amy said. “It’s very competitive but lots of fun.”
Lexi, Laci, Lynsey, and Alia all played AAU since their grade school days. With Lexi being four years older, the four sisters have never played on a team together.
“I am forever proud and wish I could’ve had all four of them together, but this is the next best thing,” Amy Bernotas said. “Lex is in the stands watching every game, rooting on her little sisters.”
