SLIPPERY ROCK — Nicole Papley’s head was spinning.

Standing before her before the first practice of the season was the third head girls basketball coach in her four seasons at Slippery Rock High.

This latest one was John Tabisz and he might as well have been speaking in tongues.

“It’s been rough,” Papley said. “It was rough at first, but Coach Tabisz and Coach (Amber) Osborn have been great and they are making us all better.”

Papley in particular.

There were games last season in which Papley was dominant. Then there were games in which she struggled.

Now a senior, Papley was determined to be more consistent and Tabisz challenged her to do so.

“One day at practice, he said the reason I wasn’t getting open was because I wasn’t working hard enough,” Papley said. “It just clicked that I needed to go harder, to work harder, to do the little things I need to do to pick up my game.”

Papley has done that. The 6-foot forward has scored in double-digits in every game this season.

She scored 13 of her game-high 22 points in the first quarter to spark a road win over Franklin Friday. It was the Rockets’ first victory over the Knights since Jan. 7, 2010.

“I was so excited about it,” Papley said of beating Franklin. In the past, in a big region game like the one in Franklin, Papley was prone to struggle. “We went out there and played like a team. It was fun.”

Papley is having a lot more fun this season. It hasn’t been much of a joy for the opponent, however.

Always a dangerous shooter, Papley has added effective post moves to her game and the results have been striking.

“She has put more in her arsenal,” Tabisz said. “The greatest jump an athlete makes is between the junior and senior years and I think it has hit home that this is her last hurrah in high school.”

Papley had never played with her back to the basket extensively before. She worked this summer on her footwork in the block and it has translated to the court.

She is still an effective outside shooter and has hit 11 3-pointers this season.

“She’s a picture-perfect shooter,” Tabisz said. “I can’t take credit for that. She accepted the drills we do. She’s always been a stand-still shooter and I told her she needed to be able to put the ball on the floor and create her own shot and be a presence at 6-foot.”

Papley is averaging 16.7 points and 8.6 rebounds per game for the Rockets, who are off to a 5-2 start this season.

The two losses have come against Cardinal O’Hara, which is 8-0 in New York and 9-0 region foe Hickory.

“We have a lot of confidence now,” Papley said. “We have some tough games coming with Grove City and Oil City and Hickory again. Everyone is stepping up. Even the freshmen have stepped up big.”

As a senior, Papley has taken it upon herself to be a leader.

“Me and the other seniors have been helping the freshmen not be so nervous,” Papley said. “We’re trying to loosen them up, to give them confidence.”

Confidence is the one thing Papley needed last year.

She has it this season, Tabisz said.

“The thing I noticed the most is she does not hesitate,” Tabisz said. “The greatest compliment I can give her is she hasn’t played a bad game.”

Papley hopes her play yields an opportunity at the college level.

As her production has increased, so has interest in her.

For now, Papley has one concrete goal.

“Get that (District 10) title,” she said.