PEORIA — A new co-star has joined Mya Wardle for her final act — younger sister, Emy Wardle.

The Wardles have Peoria Notre Dame off to a 7-1 start following Wednesday’s 79-44 girls basketball home-opening win over Canton. Eastern Kentucky signee Mya scored 13 points and handed out nine assists, while Emy stuffed the stat sheet with six points, five rebounds, four assists, four steals and a block.

Not bad for the senior-freshman duo playing in just their eighth prep game together. PND coach Layne Langholf says he’s thrilled to have two kids who know the game well, see the floor well and play with intensity. The sisters' parents are both former Division I athletes: Brian Wardle, a former Marquette basketball player and now Bradley men's basketball coach; and Lecia Wardle, who played soccer at Marquette.

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“It’s been really fun,” the elder Wardle said of how things are going with her sibling. “It’s really cool for me that I’ve seen her grow up and play my whole life. Now that I get to be able to play with her is something special.”

Emy agrees.

“It’s been good,” the 5-foot-7 guard/forward said. “It’s really easy to play with her because she gets everyone else open, and she just makes your job a lot easier. Looking up to her my whole life and finally being able to step on the court with her it’s just a really good experience.”

How Notre Dame is dominating so far

And the Irish, who won their sixth game by least 35 points, made it look super simple in their victory over Canton. In a two-minute span of the second quarter, Emy sandwiched a pair of assists to Mya with a nice finish of her own.

PND hit 10 first-half 3-pointers including three by Mya, who is a 5-foot-7 guard, and forced Canton into 20 turnovers with Emy getting four early swipes. PND led 21-0 until 40 seconds left in the first quarter.

“Really, our main offense is our defense,” Emy said, “so I really try to just play hard on defense all the time, so I know that if we defend, it will make our offense a lot easier. It speeds up the game a ton and it just makes the game (more fun).”

Mya’s communication and Emy’s toughness are the two attributes where the pair give each other the most credit. Emy says her older sister is the team’s "best leader" and is "always talking."

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Steadiness by Emy is one takeaway that Mya says she appreciates in her teammate.

“I mean, Emy is one of the toughest physically, mentally people that I know,” Mya said. “… That’s something not a lot of siblings might admit, but I admire her toughness.”

This summer playing with the Heart of Illinois 17U travel basketball team helped give Emy the confidence to succeed at the varsity level. She admits that experience really helped her, but it’s still been a big transition from junior high to playing against juniors and seniors.

But that doesn’t mean Emy isn’t ready to come out and battle every night.

“She can cause some problems with her athleticism and length,” Langholf said. “Usually, she’s getting a hand on the ball and someone else picks it up and we run and get a bucket. … Definitely, not your typical freshman coming in and helping your team. She’s contributing at both ends of the floor.”

Notre Dame is playing down a class this season

PND finds itself down in Class 2A for the first time ever. When the first Associated Press polls are released next week, look for the Irish to potentially be ranked No. 1 statewide along with being a contender to bring home the program’s first state trophy.

This now has all the makings of a Hollywood ending for this Sister Act.

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“Obviously, we know the talent that we have,” Mya said. “The talent we have come in and transferred in, but we really try to just live in the moment and live in the present.

“… We know the talent and the potential we have; we really try to take it one game at time, one practice at a time and live in the moment. I think it’s really helped us overcome some adversity already in the season.”

Adam Duvall is a Journal Star sports reporter. Email him at aduvall@pjstar.com. Follow him on Twitter @AdamDuvall.

This article originally appeared on Journal Star: Peoria Notre Dame girls basketball profile on Mya and Emy Wardle