RIMERSBURG — It was an unfamiliar feeling for TiffanyCorle.

Losing.

It stuck in the gut of the Union senior guard. It nibbled at her nerves and haunted her.

So she decided to do something about it.

"We had not lost that many times so early — ever," said Corle of the Damsels 2-2 start this season. "It just killed me that that was happening."

At the time, Corle was still wrestling with her radical change in basketball philosophy.

In seasons' past, as Union was rolling to 66 wins, five losses and two deep postseason pushes, Corle was the distributor, the third cog in a formidable attack.

Bethany Koch and Andrea Mortimer were the scorers.

Those two are gone.

"I guess I'm the new Beth and Andi," Corle said. "It's a really big change. I'm not used to being the big scorer."

She's getting used to it now.

Her slow start mirrored her team's early struggles, but Union is rolling and Corle is cruising.

After the 2-2 start, the Damsels have reeled off eight wins in their last nine games.

Corle averaged 12 points per game in those first four contests. Since then, she is averaging 18.1 points.

"I think she's been more aggressive," said Union coach Josh Meeker. "Last year, the offense ran through Beth and Andrea. This year, she's the primary scorer for us and it was a tough transition for her.

"She's been walking that fine line. She doesn't want to feel like she's being a ball hawk, but, at the same time, she needs to help the team with her offensive skills," he added.

The light came on for Corle late in a game againstSlippery Rock Dec. 22.

She had scored only six points in the first three quarters as the Damsels were in a dogfight with the Rockets.

Corle scored 18 points in the fourth quarter and the two overtime periods to lead Union to a 67-63 victory.

"It showed Tiffany she could play with anyone," Meeker said. "She was playing against (Rockets senior guard Jence Rhoads) and she was unbelievable."

Since then, Corle has been nearly unstoppable on both offense and defense for Union, which has won its last four games by an average score of 73-33.

She is averaging 16.1 points per game this season, but perhaps the most impressive number for the 5-foot-5 guard is her 8.5 rebounds per game, which leads the team.

She had 22 points and 22 rebounds against Keystone Wednesday night.

Her jumping ability is one of the reasons for her rebounding success. Corle has qualified for the PIAA Track and Field Championships in the high jump.

But Meeker sees another reason for her knack on the boards.

"She's tenacious," Meeker said. "I think if she really put her mind to it, she could get every rebound."

Corle has an outside chance of reaching 1,000 career points this season.

Reaching that mark was something that was stuck in her mind earlier in the season, which she said may have affected how she played.

She has put that number as far from her consciousness as possible now.

"My dad figured it out before the season," Corle said. "I needed to average 17.1 points per game. After a game or two, I figured it probably wasn't going to happen, and it bothered me for about two days."

But then Corle decided to live with it.

"It will happen if it happens," She said. "I don't even want to know about it, how close I'm getting or anything."

For now,Corle is intent on leading her team back to the playoffs and perhaps back to the PIAA Class A semifinals, where the Damsels suffered a painful loss a season ago.

Meeker is just pleased to see Corle having fun on the court again.

"She's letting the game come to her," Meeker said. "Now, she's just playing basketball."