Maple Grove triplets Addie, Lexi and Bella thrive on their differences on the basketball court

The most important thing to know about Maple Grove’s Hanna triplets — Addie, Lexi and Bella — is not only are they fraternal and don’t look alike, but they thrive on their differences.

Except for their shared last name, a casual observer of the Maple Grove girls basketball team may never know they’re sisters, let alone triplets.

Addie, the oldest and shortest at 5-7, refuses to let her team slide. Lexi, the middle triplet born 30 seconds after Addie, is a silky-smooth 5-9 scorer who cherishes doing the little things. Bella, the youngest by 30 seconds and the tallest at 5-10, is the best passer of the three.

Together, the triplets are vital pieces of a core group of seven seniors that has Maple Grove on the cusp of its first girls basketball state championship.

The Crimson play Hopkins on Saturday at 8 p.m. at Williams Arena for the Class 4A state championship.

Maple Grove stands tall above the rest of the Class 4A field because of the dichotomy the Hanna sisters represent, head coach Mark Cook said.

“I’ve never met three girls who are so close and so alike in so many ways but then so different in so many ways,” Cook said. “Their personalities are very different. The way they handle themselves is very different. But the way that they’ve helped teach this team how to deal with conflict resolution and holding each other accountable and things like that have been so important.”

At home, the sisters have arguments about who is the best-dressed or the neatest, but those have led to their ability to coexist with others, including teammates, in a straightforward manner without hurting someone’s feelings.

“We had a sit-down in the locker room before the season,” Bella recalled.

“I think it was two sit-downs, actually,” Addie interjected.

The message was simple: “Guys, we’re gonna get after each other this year. We’re gonna hold each other accountable. Don’t take it the wrong way,‘ ” Bella said.

“Yeah, we’re still gonna be best friends off the court afterwards,” added Addie.

The Hanna sisters have one game left to play together. They haven’t let themselves dwell on the group splitting up.

“I haven’t thought about it much,” Addie said. “Every time I do, there’s usually tears. And it’s not even just the three of us, it’s the whole team. I mean, it’s been the same group of kids since literally first grade. We all went to the same elementary school together. So it’s really special.”

After this season, the Hanna triplets will follow separate basketball paths, all in NCAA Division II. Bella will play at Michigan Tech in Houghton, Mich.; Addie at Augustana in Sioux Falls; and Lexi at Missouri-St. Louis.

They never even considered going to the same school.

“I think it’s good for us to each go our own way,” Lexi said.

“Yeah, we’ll still have the summers to be together,” Addie said.