Jenna Jensen, left, and her twin sister, Jaelyn, pose before a Mt. Ararat girls basketball practice Tuesday at the Augusta Civic Center. The sisters have played a big role in helping Mt. Ararat reach the Class A final. Joe Phelan / Kennebec Journal

Friday night can’t come soon enough for the Jensens.

Not just for twins Jaelyn and Jenna Jensen, both junior guards on the Mt. Ararat girls basketball team vying for its first state championship, but for the entire family.

“We can’t really stop thinking about it,” Jaelyn said. “Like at dinner with our family, that’s the topic we talk about.”

“We watch so much film as a family and as a team … even (our 8-year old sister) comments on the games. ‘Gotta watch out for her,'” Jenna said before cracking up from her impersonation.

Similar things are likely being said about the Jensens during Hampden Academy film sessions as the two teams prep for the Class A final Friday at the Augusta Civic Center. The Eagles (19-2) and the Broncos (16-5) will tip-off at 6:05 p.m.

Mt. Ararat’s game plan won’t differ much from what brought them to the program’s first-ever title game appearance — intense defensive pressure setting up quick and efficient transition offense. While any of the Eagles’ top seven players has the ability to score in double-digits or be the team’s high scorer, a bulk of points will come from senior guard Cali Pomerleau’s 3-point shooting (team-high 13.5 points per game, 51% 3-point shooting percentage), junior forward Julianna Allen’s post game (11.2 ppg), or senior guard Kennedy Lampert’s hard-nosed drives (averaged 9.3 ppg in regional tournament).

The twins aren’t flashy ballhandlers or overly-expressive characters on the court, but their impact goes beyond the box score. Jenna averages two assists per game and was named to the KVAC all-defensive team after leading Mt. Ararat in steals (2.2 per game).

“I just focus on the team aspect,” said Jenna, who is 5-foot-8. “I gotta play real good defense to get the ball. I mean, I could score, but I like contributing to other things.”

It can be easy to lose track of the 5-foot-6 Jaelyn, who comes off the bench but makes an impact by stealing rebounds from taller opponents or earning possession by causing a jump ball.

“I’m happy to do the dirty work and help our team out,” Jaelyn said. “If that means I’m passing the ball to Cali and she can hit a (3-pointer) for us, it’s kind of like, I’ll do whatever to win.”

And if scoring is what’s needed to win, the Jensens can do that, too. Jenna recorded nine points and seven rebounds, while Jaelyn dropped eight points and 10 rebounds in the Eagles’ 17-point comeback victory over Westbrook in the regional quarterfinals.

The twins’ relentless motors and positive energy stand out, Mt. Ararat coach Julie Petrie said.

“(They play with) just so much heart and grit and knowledge, and they’re just really, really sweet kids,” she said. “They’re great, loving teammates, so we’re very glad to have them — at home.”

Jaelyn and Jenna grew up in the Topsham school district, but decided to go to Cheverus High in Portland for their freshman year. Jenna described their 2022-23 rookie season, a year after the Stags won their first AA title, as intense. Playing with standouts Maddie Fitzpatrick (now at UMaine) and Emma Lizotte (now at Quinnipiac) gave the young role players someone to look up to, but Jenna said the sisters “were kind of just there to give them the ball.”

After the season ended in a heartbreaking double-overtime loss to eventual champion Oxford Hills, the Jensens made the decision to transfer to Mt. Ararat and reunite with teammates they had played with for years, as the daily 70-minute round-trip commute began to be too much.

“They made it feel like we didn’t really leave,” Jaelyn said. “It was like we came back and it was back to normal.”

Last season, the Eagles rode the connection to a 16-2 regular season, the top seed in Class A South and a regional final showdown against rival Brunswick. However, the Dragons turned the Eagles aside en route to winning the Class A crown. Meanwhile, in Portland, the Cheverus girls found redemption and won the AA Gold Ball.

It was a bittersweet moment for the Jensen twins, but if anything, it reaffirmed their decision and re-energized them as Mt. Ararat’s 2024-25 season began with the nearly the same roster. The Eagles are riding a 14-game winning streak, outscoring opponents during this stretch by 15.4 points per game. Now, with one game left alongside their senior teammates, the Jensens are ready to empty the tank on the Civic Center court.

“(We need to) make some history,” Jenna said. “Because our banner is looking pretty empty, and we gotta fill that up.”