English twins help DeWitt girls basketball top Haslett in showdown

DEWITT — Jaynie and Jessie English have been waiting in the wings.

The juniors and twin sisters are among the players in the DeWitt girls basketball program hungry to step up and make their marks on varsity while helping the Panthers remain among the top teams in Greater Lansing and beyond.

And the English sisters have been among the players who have stepped up to help DeWitt replace the scoring production lost with 1,000-point scorers Tara Kurncz and Madi Uyl having graduated after playing a role in the Panthers' run to the Division 1 state semifinals in 2025.

The twins were key performers Tuesday, Jan. 13 while helping DeWitt add to its strong start to the season with a 50-42 victory over BCAM Division 2 top-ranked Haslett.

Jaynie English hit six 3-pointers while scoring 18 points and Jessie English added nine points off the bench to help DeWitt hand the Vikings their first loss of the season.

"We knew it would be a big game," Jaynie English said. "(Haslett) played really hard, but we didn't let that affect our mindsets. We came in with a good mindset of going up there and giving it our all so I think that's what helped."

DeWitt closed the opening quarter on a 12-2 to take the lead and never trailed the rest of the way while improving to 8-1.

Jaynie English was big in the second half while helping the Panthers earn the win. She hit five 3-pointers after halftime, which included three in the final quarter. Haslett (6-1) got within two in the early stages of the fourth after Abby Russell converted a three-point play. But Jaynie English answered with a 3 that sparked an 11-2 run to help DeWitt regain control. Jaynie English hit three 3s during that run.

"I'm so happy for her," Jessie English said. "We go to the gym and she gets a lot of shots up and it's cool to see that hard work pay off for her and seeing her make those 3s and the smile on her face. It makes me so happy to see that she's able to get that spotlight and just go out there and do what she does best."

Veteran DeWitt girls basketball coach Bill McCullen was pleased to see the way both English sisters stepped up to help his team earn a big victory. Both got varsity reps using the MHSAA's fifth quarter rule during the 2024-25 season and have capitalized on the experience they got in games and in practices then to make their marks this winter.

"They did their time," McCullen said. "They put in the work. These two probably spend as much time in the offseason as anybody that I've had come through here. They always want to shoot. We were just saying in the locker room it was a huge night and the twins combined for 27 and one of my assistant coaches says I think those offseason workouts are paying off. (I'm) really proud of them."

Kaitlyn Johnson had 14 points — all in the second half — to lead Haslett.

Contact Brian Calloway at [email protected]. Follow him on X @brian_calloway and Bluesky @briancalloway.

This article originally appeared on Lansing State Journal: DeWitt girls basketball hands Haslett first loss