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As Meghan and Eric Braeuer tried to stay still for the picture, Eric's arm began to push his way toward the ball.

He couldn't stand the fact that she made him be the one to play defense. He wanted the ball and she knew it.

Meghan slowly began dribbling, then without a word she took off, taking Eric by surprise, and tried to score. He cut her off in time, though, stole the ball and laid it in the basket

Then they lined up again, this time instructed to stay still.

Same result, though.

For the brother and sister Belton basketball duo, who were born a mere 14 months apart, the competition seldom stops.

Eric said he won't even let Meghan finish breakfast before he does.

"He eats his cereal and drops it everywhere," Meghan said. "I tell him to pick it up and he is like 'No. I would rather leave it there.'"

Eric, of course, has a reason.

"I always have to finish first in just about everything, even eating," he said.

At the root of all the competition, though, is basketball.

Their father, Ed, was the coach at Belton for six seasons going 124-72, winning 30 games in 2002 and then losing in the regionals in '03 and '04 behind their older brother, Matt, and Ramonce Taylor.

Matt was a first-team all-state player in 2003, averaged 22.6 points per game in 2004 and was member of the

Wichita State Shockers when they went to the NCAA basketball tournament's Sweet 16 in 2006.

Those shoes have been hard to fill, but that has not stopped Eric or Meghan from trying.

And it even gave them a cause to unite.

"When my brother left, I went to Meghan more (for help) and she helped me through some things," Eric said. "Now, I am trying to help her because I have gone through some of the same things.

"... When we talk about sports and basketball that is when we really click and become brother and sister."

Sometimes they take each other's advice. Other times? Not so much.

"It depends on what type of day it is," Meghan said. "Sometimes I just walk off if I keep missing and get frustrated."

According to their father, "Sometimes there are some words of anger expressed."

"Sometimes they are teammates and sometimes they are opponents," said Ed, who coached basketball a total of 15 years, starting as an assistant at Round Rock Westwood. "They have grown up around basketball their whole lives.

"Skill wise they are pretty similar on the court ... Off the court, they have their moments."

When they were younger

– before Eric hit his growth spurt his sophomore year, the siblings used to play more one-on-one. And despite the fact he was actually shorter than her for while, Eric claims he never lost to her. "Never. She can't hold me," Eric said.

Meghan interrupted: "I think I beat him like twice. I got the outside shot. He can't guard me."

"Nope, never," Eric persisted.

But the competition goes back even further.

When they were only 5 or 6 years old, Matt set up obstacle courses in the backyard and just sat back and watched his siblings go at it. He even had a stop watch.

"Meghan was smaller, but she would just kill herself to try and beat (Eric)," their mother Penny said. "Eric would just rub (winning) in her face. I warned him that she was going to get bigger and that payback is heck.

Those competitions lasted until they were about 9.

"It ended when I won," Meghan said.

Contact Nick Talbot at ntalbot@kdhnews.com or (254) 501-7569.