Competitiveness runs in the Mabrey family. It’s genetic. When there’s a Mabrey on the basketball court, no matter which one it is, they will be one of the most competitive people on the floor.

So when No. 1 Notre Dame and Marina Mabrey, 22, travels to Blacksburg, Virginia, on Wednesday, Jan. 16, to take on younger sister Dara, 19, and the Virginia Tech women's basketball team, you can bet that the competitive juices will be flowing between the two sisters and former Manasquan High School stars.

“She’ll probably push me right as the ball is about to be tipped off,” Dara said.

“Oh, it’s going to be hostile,” Marina said. “As soon as I come out for warm ups, I’m throwing the ball right at her head.”

Even though both comments were made in jest, the Mabrey sisters, including the oldest, Michaela, a Notre Dame alum, engaged in countless ultra-competitive pick up games in the family driveway in Belmar or the neighborhood parks as they grew up and honed their crafts. But unlike many competitive siblings who seek to beat each other out of resentment or jealously, the Mabrey sisters share a deep and loyal bond that goes way beyond basketball.

“She’s still my sister on the court and if someone hits her, I’m hitting them, I don’t care if they’re on my team or their team,” Marina said. “It’s family first. The basketball only bounces for so long.”

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When Dara decided to forge her own path at Virginia Tech, that meant an opportunity to play Marina and the defending national champions. Even though the sisters played each other many times in their pick up games, contests that their mother, Patti, refereed and often broke up scraps, Dara and Marina have never played each other in an official setting.

On Wednesday, the siblings will have the unique opportunity to do so at the 10,000-seat Cassell Coliseum.

“I wouldn’t say I’m anxious, I’m just ready to play like it’s any other game,” Dara said. “Yeah, it’s Notre Dame, they just won the national championship, and I’m playing my sister, but I’m just going to go in there with basically nothing to lose and play my hardest.”

Dara has found immediate success as a freshman with the Hokies after leading Manasquan to the program’s third Tournament of Champions title last year. She’s averaging 12 points and had a season-high 26 against Monmouth University on Nov. 16 in the fourth game of her collegiate career.

Marina, who Dara won Manasquan’s second TOC title with in 2015, is coming off a stellar junior season with the Fighting Irish, playing a key role in the team’s national championship run. Despite a nagging quad injury, Marina is still playing at a high level on one of the nation’s top-ranked teams.

As the clear underdog, the game will be an uphill climb for Virginia Tech, but Dara still holds out hope the Hokies can pull off an upset. Win or lose, Dara is excited to be playing in front of her mother and father, Roy Sr., who will both be in attendance.

“It’s going to be a fun family atmosphere,” Dara said. “Our family is going to come. Me and Marina have talked quite a bit about it, just joking and trash talking a bit.”

For Marina, the cards are in her favor for this match up. She’s older, more experienced, and her team is a juggernaut. Marina is proud to share the court with Dara and is thrilled about her early success.

“She’s my sister, and I want to see her play well in every game, so if they’re playing us or anybody, I want her to play well every time she steps on the court,” Marina said. “I’m just really happy I get to watch her play and see that she’s playing at such a high level. It’s cool to see someone so young impact a program so quickly.”

For the rest of the family, there’s no possible way to root for one side or the other. The Mabrey parents and the rest of the family, oldest sister Michaela, older bother Roy Jr., a former CBA star, and youngest brother Ryan, a current CBA freshman, just want to watch both Marina and Dara play well.

“It’s a matter of hoping that Dara and Marina have good games,” Patti said. “That’s the only way you can go into it fairly. We don’t cheer against one of them. It’s going to be play-by-play. Did Marina make a good play? Did Dara make a good play?”

Roy Sr. joked that he didn’t want to see the 5'7" Dara get “picked up by a paint scraper,” a reference to Marina’s and Dara’s four-inch height difference. His wish: that the siblings end the game on good terms.

“I just hope they give each other a hug at the end of the game, and it’s all good,” Roy Sr. said.

The game might be a testy match between the two, mirroring those childhood pick up games. But no matter what the outcome of the game is, no matter who crosses up who or who blocks whose shot, the Mabrey sisters are going to remain the fiercely loyal and loving siblings they’ve always been.

“I don’t even see her as an opponent,” Dara said. “When I face her or guard her, I’m going to look at her as my sister.”

Daniel LoGiudice: @danny_logiudice; dlogiudice@gannettnj.com.