RIMERSBURG - "Ball, ball, ball."

Every member of the Union High School girls basketball player uttered those words loudly, shuffling to the right and to the left, an intense look in their eyes.

In the middle of the din was Damsels coach Josh Meeker. To him, the noise was music to his ears. To his team's opponents this season, he hopes it will be unnerving.

"Off the court, these girls are always talking," Meeker said. "But you get them on the court and nothing. They are quiet."

So Meeker is trying to raise the decibel level in gyms all over the Keystone Shortway Athletic Conference.

One thing he doesn't have to tinker with is the program's success.

Union is coming off its second consecutive 23-6 season, but it must replace two key players lost to graduation in Briana Wensel, who averaged 11.3 points per game, and Leia Mortimer, who pitched in six points and 21 3-pointers.

"We lost our top two ball handlers and our top two 3-point shooters, Meeker said. "We will miss them."

Sophomores Tiffany Corle and Janele Divins will handle the majority of the ball handling duties.

The Damsels also have some scoring punch returning. Leading scorer Andrea Mortimer returns with her 14 points and nearly double-digit rebounds per game. Bethany Koch, Union's other double-digit scorer, (10.5 ppg) is also back.

Then there is the winning tradition and the intensity that have been hallmarks for the Damsels.

There is no such word "rebuilding" in Union's vocabulary. Only "reload."

The summer was very successful for Meeker and Union as the team played some tough competition and went 39-6."For a school like us, (the offseason) is everything," Meeker said. "It's everything. Being a small school, our girls play everything. They do cross country, volleyball, so the summer is the only time we can get them together."Meeker has been impressed by how well his team has gotten in synch already."We give them a lot of credit," Meeker said. "They sacrifice a lot of their summer for us."I've been amazed at how well we are playing together, how our girls are finding each other on the floor. There have been times when I didn't see the girl coming open, but our girls have. As a coach, that's real nice to see."Meeker is also pleased at how much his players have improved in the offseason. He is also pleased about the depth he will have at his disposal.

Union may go 12 deep this season."All 12 could see some playing time," Meeker said. "We'll probably settle into an eight- or nine-girl rotation, but on any given night, everyone could play."That is a good thing for a team that likes to run and force teams to play up-tempo.Union will be a very quick team, also something it will need to overcome a lack of size.The tallest player on the Damsels' roster is listed at 5-foot-9."We don't have a lot of height and we're not very big and strong, either," Meeker said. "So against the bigger and stronger teams, we're going to have to do the best we can."UNION HIGH SCHOOL2004-05 Girls ScheduleDec. 3-4-at Clearfield Blast-Off Tournament; Dec. 8-BROOKVILLE, 6 p.m.; Dec. 10-11-at Karns City Tournament; Dec. 14-at Clarion, 6:30 p.m.; Dec. 21-MONITEAU, 6 p.m.; Dec. 28-29-at Cranberry Christmas TournamentJan. 3-at Redbank Valley, 6 p.m.; Dec. 5-CLARION-LIMESTONE, 6 p.m.; Jan. 7-WEST FOREST, 6 p.m.; Jan. 10-ROCKY GROVE, 6 p.m.; Jan. 11-at East Forest, 6 p.m.; Jan. 14-A-C VALLEY, 6 p.m.; Jan. 17-at Venango Catholic, 6 p.m.; Jan. 19-CRANBERRY, 6 p.m.; Jan. 21-at North Clarion, 6 p.m.; Jan. 25-at Karns City, 6 p.m.; Jan. 28-at Rocky Grove, 6 p.m.Feb. 1-CLARION, 6 p.m.; Feb. 4-at Clarion-Limestone, 6:30 p.m.; Feb. 7-KEYSTONE, 7:30 p.m.; Feb. 9-REDBANK VALLEY, 6 p.m.