FAYETTE — Jefferson County High School point guard Kailyn Hammett pulled out her phone and pressed play on the Florida Georgia Line Pandora Internet radio station.

Her teammate Diamond Smith, sitting in the locker next to her, sang along to the song “Cruise.” Forward Antrell Gales perhaps might have favored gospel or R&B music to country, but she bobbed her head to the song with her Lady Tiger teammates.

Smith, Hammett and Gales may have been out of sync with their music choice, but they are rarely out of sync on the basketball court.

Jefferson County girls basketball is gearing up for the MHSAA Class 3A quarterfinals game against Independence High School Saturday at Jackson State University, and the trio figure to be an integral part of the game plan, Jefferson County head coach Flora McKnight said.

Hammett, a sophomore, serves as Jefferson County’s point guard and facilitator. Gales and Smith — listed at 6-foot-1 and 6-foot-3, respectively — are the Lady Tiger’s forwards.

“I’ve never (coached) a game where all three are off,” McKnight said. “You really can’t complain when one of them isn’t on because if Diamond isn’t scoring, she’s blocking shots. If Antrell isn’t scoring, she’s rebounding and blocking shots and looking for the extra pass. Kailyn will give (the ball) up, and she doesn’t worry about scoring.”

Jefferson County’s Big 3 have been a unit since Smith returned from ACL rehab in January 2015. Over the past two seasons, the Lady Tigers are a combined 49-10. The three said over the 2015 summer they noticed they started to win a lot of games and the chemistry between them began to click.

“They know I’m looking for them first,” Hammett said. “I think they know (my playing style) well enough now, since we’ve been playing since last year. It didn’t even take them that long.”

McKnight said Hammett has developed subtle cues to alert her teammates of a potential pass coming their way — a nod or shake of her head.

Gales said most of the communication between the three is unspoken.

“If we catch eye contact (with Hammett), we know,” Gales said.

Distribution is a skill Hammett has demonstrated from a young age. McKnight brought her up to play on Jefferson County’s junior varisty squad when she was in eighth grade.

McKnight said Hammett can run the offense by herself, when the gym is too loud to get signals from the sideline. Jefferson County’s coach said she gave Hammett her freshman year to make mistakes with less pressure, now McKnight counts on her point guard to control the floor and be the playmaker.

“She can handle the ball with her head always up,” McKnight said. “I tell the girls, ‘Everybody look for the ball,’ because Kailyn will get it to them.”

Hammett said, as her game has developed, she shoots a lot more than she used to. The 5-foot-8 playmaker noted her best best move — a quick drive and euro-step toward the basket, but quickly noted she is still looking to make the pass first.

“At first I was shy, but since eighth grade, I’ve found my comfort zone,” Hammett said. “First I look for my teammates, and if they’re covered, I’ll drive.”

Smith and Gales recieve the majority of those passes. While their styles of play may look similar, their backgrounds are anything but.

Smith is part of a Jefferson County legacy. Her first cousin and sister were basketball players for Jefferson County, and Smith said she started her high school career shaking off expectations imposed on her because of her family’s success.

Smith says now, as a senior, she’s forged her own legacy at Jefferson County.

“Everybody is gonna say what they want to say, ‘I want you to be like your sister. I want you to be like your cousin. I want you to be better,’” Smith said. “My sister used to always say, ‘Diamond, you’re better than I was when I was in 10th grade.’”

Gales has an especially close relationship with Jefferson County boys coach Marcus Walton. Although the two aren’t related biologically, Gales refers to Walton as her uncle. Gales and Walton’s families are close, and Walton is hands on when coaching the girls and developing their post moves.

When put to a Hollywood comparison, Gales decided the Jefferson County three are the “female Wayans brothers.” Instead of on a screen in your local movie theater, the Lady Tigers’ latest comedy can be seen in between foul shots at the free throw line, when Gales, Hammett and Smith joke about a play or something that happened earlier that day. At least, when they’re winning.

There was no cutting up during Jefferson County’s last playoff game in 2015 , when the team fell in the semifinals 68-54 to Belmont High School.

“When we go out they say, ‘Y’all should win it this year. You should have had it last year, but y’all should get it this year,’” Hammett said.

Jefferson County has practiced twice-a-day this week in preparation for Saturday’s quarterfinals. The Lady Tigers even took a trip to Alcorn State in Lorman to get a sense of what playing in a big gym would be like.

The atmosphere at Jackson State isn’t enough for Hammett, Smith and Gales. It’s about winning this season.

“This season affected us more because a lot of people counted on us,” Gales said.

“It’s unfinished business,” Smith said.