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BEMIDJI-Aimee Pelzer was officially credited with 353 points last season, which led the Bemidji State women's basketball team. But ask Tatum Sheley, who scored 352, and there's much more to the story.

"Actually, and this is true, in one of the games Aimee had two of my points," Sheley explained firmly. "So I actually had the most."

Pelzer didn't deny it, but she also didn't hide her lack of sympathy for coming out on top. "It was so funny," she laughed. "So funny."

And it wasn't the first episode in their friendly rivalry.

The two BSU senior standouts have a storied history together, sometimes as competitors and sometimes as teammates-but most often as both at the same time. They give defenses a challenge with sharp shooting and no-look passing, but their biggest rival may very well be in their own huddle.

"We don't talk about it, but I think we're always wanting to beat each other (in the little things)," said Sheley. "I feel like Aimee is always trying to beat me at everything."

"It's so competitive, it's crazy," Pelzer agreed. "I try really hard to win."

Bemidji State head coach Chelsea DeVille can see it too.

"There is a rivalry," she confirmed. "But it was just kinda meant to be, uniquely enough.

"They're such close friends... It's complete business on the court, but off the court they just have a goofy relationship."

It all started in seventh grade, nearly a decade ago, when the two first shared the court as teammates on the Lakes Area Starz AAU team. And although they weren't as close when they originally met, they would hear plenty about each other throughout their respective high school careers.

In 12 years of varsity basketball, the duo combined for 4,962 points, 1,701 rebounds, 1,517 assists, 1,089 steals, six conference MVPs and 247 wins. And if that weren't enough, the two local stars even met for a historic section championship game in their senior season.

Pelzer's Upsala Cardinals and Sheley's Pine River-Backus Tigers were both vying for their first ever state tournament bid, squaring off for the 2013 Section 5A championship. Pelzer led her team to a 47-41 comeback victory, a result that Sheley still wishes she could get back.

"It's never not gonna be a fact that she beat me to go to state," Sheley said. "I probably won't ever get over that."

"Yeah, she's still very salty," added Pelzer, whose team rallied back from a 15-point deficit. "And I'll bring it up, which probably doesn't help."

But Pelzer isn't the only one to tease her backcourt partner.

"We tell Tatum to close the yearbook because Aimee beat her and she can't get over the loss," DeVille joked. "But it's cool to see that two people who have known each other so long, both as teammates and as rivals in high school, are now playing together and having good careers."

Having already done so in high school, Pelzer and Sheley are also making a name for themselves at Bemidji State.

Both are on pace to join the Beavers' 1,000-point club; Sheley is up to 921 career points and Pelzer 812. (Although if you ask Sheley, she's scored 923.) But even without their accolades, DeVille is thankful to have the pair in the program.

"I absolutely adore them," she said. "They're just good people. You can't say enough about the character of who they are as humans, so that's probably the most impressive part of those two and their relationship."

Bragging rights may always be on the line, but the friendly competition has helped build a bond stronger than basketball. Despite the rivalry, the antics, and the bantering, friendship still reigns above all.

"Honestly I wouldn't change anything, because it's been so much fun for the last four years playing together," Pelzer said. "We'll be able to talk about it forever, and that's just cool."

"It's just like having one of your people with you at college," Sheley added. "It's absolutely flown by, and that's because of Aim... Sharing it with one of your closest friends is pretty sweet."

They'll always be each other's biggest fan-but that doesn't mean they're about to take it easy on one another.

"I don't like losing," said Pelzer. "Especially to this one."

Sheley smiled. "Because I'll rub it in. Pretty bad."

"Yeah," Pelzer quipped. "Exactly."