When Lake Zurich’s Anna Gilbertson and her siblings were younger, their father, Gerry, offered them a deal.

He said he’d give them 5 cents for each time they dribbled a basketball down the driveway and back.

“I think I never actually got the money,” Ella Gilbertson said. “I think our brother got $8 once, though.”

The Gilbertson kids — Andrew, 24; Ella, 21; Anna, 17; and Leah, 15 — have all played basketball as well as the trombone in the marching band at Lake Zurich. Through the years, they have developed together, competed against one another and celebrated each other.

Anna Gilbertson, a 6-foot forward who will be a senior at Lake Zurich, recently committed to play Division II basketball at Missouri University of Science and Technology in Rolla, Missouri. She averaged 8.7 points, 5.2 rebounds and 2.2 assists last season.

“I’ve always wanted to go DII, and it’s because of Ella and her experiences,” Anna Gilbertson said.

Ella Gilbertson, for her part, will be a senior at Minnesota Duluth. The 6-0 guard/forward averaged 10.4 points for the Bulldogs (32-4), who reached the Division II national championship game in Dallas.

“Through Ella, I’ve gotten to see how you can balance basketball and school at DII,” Anna Gilbertson said. “She’s having a great experience there. So I think it’ll be a great opportunity for me.”

Anna Gilbertson said she’s planning to major in biology at Missouri S&T and aspires to be a physician or physician assistant. Ella Gilbertson is studying to be a speech pathologist.

“I’m looking for medical internships and jobs in the summer, and going DII allows me the best balance with that,” Anna Gilbertson said.

The Gilbertson home, headed by parents Gretchen and Gerry, has always centered around academics and athletics. Both parents played basketball in high school, and their driveway featured not one, but two, basketball hoops. The front-yard court bred a competitive culture that spawned one basketball star after another.

“We’re super competitive,” Anna Gilbertson said. “A few of our games have ended in tears. There’s no one you want to beat more than your siblings.”

Those Gilbertson pickup games have always been remarkably tight.

“Anna is definitely stronger than me, and Leah has a great shot,” Ella Gilbertson said. “But I feel like our dad and brother won the most.”

“Well, you won a lot,” Anna Gilbertson reminded her sister.

Scores aside, the main byproduct has been family closeness.

“Basketball has brought us closer together as a family,” Ella Gilbertson said. “Seeing Anna find her fit has been great, and Leah will go through the recruiting process soon.”

Leah Gilbertson, a 6-0 guard, is a rising star. She earned a varsity spot as a freshman last season and figures to emerge as a leader at Lake Zurich in the coming years.

Last season, Anna and Leah Gilbertson were teammates as the Bears (25-8) reached the semifinals of the Class 4A Highland Park Sectional.

“Having Leah on the team was interesting,” Anna Gilbertson said. “I was definitely harder on her than other younger players. But that’s because I want my siblings to succeed, so I pushed her hard. She has a lot of potential. If she wants it, she can get it.”

While the two younger sisters were teaming up at Lake Zurich last season, Ella Gilbertson and Minnesota Duluth were rolling through the Division II postseason.

When the Bulldogs reached the Final Four, the entire Gilbertson family trekked to American Airlines Center, the home of the NBA’s Dallas Mavericks and the NHL’s Dallas Stars, for the games. Minnesota Duluth lost to Ashland 78-67 in the final.

Anna and Leah Gilbertson decorated hats for the family to wear as they cheered on their big sister.

“We were all in the Texas spirit,” Leah Gilbertson said. “Everyone was super into it. And seeing how cool that experience was made me look into my future and set goals for that to be me one day.”

Sam Brief is a freelance reporter for Pioneer Press.