SLIPPERY ROCK — Abby Basta and Casey McCaffrey know how they are perceived.

As goofballs.

"Even our coach says we are goofy," Basta said. "We try to loosen everyone up, but we know when it is time to be serious — most of the time."

But make no mistake about it. The two biggest characters on the Slippery Rock High School girls basketball team also are two big reasons why the Rockets have been so successful in recent years.

The senior captains have played extensively for the Rockets since they were freshmen and have been starters since their sophomore seasons.

Playing as much as they did as freshmen was something neither envisioned.

"We thought we would be playing (junior varsity) the whole time," McCaffrey said. "We never thought we'd be worth anything to the varsity team. We didn't realize that we weren't really that bad."

The duo got two seasons of experience in one their freshman season, as they played the junior varsity game before suiting up again for the varsity contest.

"We basically played two games every night," Basta said.

All that basketball paid tremendous dividends as it aided their development and helped turn them into smothering defensive forces.

Basta and McCaffrey take a great deal of pride in their ability to shut down the opponent's biggest offensive threats. They also get a kick out of forcing turnovers that turn into easy points in transition.

"We're actually more comfortable on defense," McCaffrey said. "I know that might sound weird to some people, but we were always that way."

It's easy to be comfortable on the defensive end when there is Jence Rhoads scorching the net on the offensive end of the court.

Rhoads is averaging nearly 30 points per game this season. Recently the junior point guard surpassed 1,000 points in her career.

Rhoads' penchant for putting up big scoring numbers has allowed Basta and McCaffrey to slip into supporting roles as unsung heroes for the Rockets.

While most senior teammates in that situation would lobby for more shots, Basta and McCaffrey are content to let Rhoads continue to light up the scoreboard.

"That doesn't bother us at all," McCaffrey said. "She scores 30 points most nights, and when Jence only scores 20, it's like, 'Wow, she must be under the weather today.' Jence makes everyone better. She makes us whole."But this season, Basta and McCaffrey are being asked to score more, too.It's still a work in progress.Last year, the duo combined for nearly 16 points per game. This year they are averaging a shade below 12 per contest.The two hit bottom against Farrell this season in the Rockets' only loss in five games. The entire team shot poorly, but Basta and McCaffrey were particularly frigid from the field.Since that game, they have focused more on getting their shooting touch back and ramping up their offensive numbers."Lately we've been (practicing our shooting) a lot more," McCaffrey said. "I think after the Farrell game, when we shot 14-of-60 or whatever it was — it was bad — we knew that if no one makes shots, we will not win, no matter how good defense we play."Slippery Rock coach Gene Rodgers has stressed to Basta and McCaffrey the need for more points."They've really been working hard on their shooting, because they know they have to," Rodgers said.Come playoff time, Basta and McCaffrey may hold the key to how far the Rockets go.And they want to go further in their final go-around than in the last two years when they were upset by Warren and nipped by Villa Maria in the first round of the postseason."The first year we were like, 'Oh, yeah! We made the playoffs,' and then we lost," Basta said. "Last year, we made it and lost, but we knew we'd be back. This year, this is it for us. This is the last year we're going to play."The prospect of losing Basta and McCaffrey to graduation is one Rodgers is not looking forward to."I don't know how we are going to replace them," Rodgers said. "Every year, we lose a couple of girls and I say, 'I don't know how we are going to replace them.' But with these two, I really don't know how we are going to replace them."They have athleticism, spirit and toughness. They just go. There's only one speed they know and that's all out."