NORTH ANDOVER — Challenges remain for Tiffany Colon, but now they're different challenges.
After enduring the disappointment of having her basketball scholarship pulled at Division 1 Maine two years ago, the former Lawrence High standout landed on her feet at Division 2 Merrimack but with some adaptation needed.
"At Division 1, the focus is on sports and athletes," Colon explained. "At Division 2, academics plays a role as much as being an athlete. I'm satisfied being here (at Merrimack) and I'm taking responsibility for both parts."
Stepping into a starting slot right off the bat for the Warriors, Colon has seen her role, and her court responsibilities, broaden over time as was apparent last night in an 80-56 loss to second-ranked Franklin Pierce University.
With three of the team's four forwards missing from the lineup due to injury, the 5-9 Colon has been thrust into playing up front on occasion. Not only has she endured against bigger, taller competition, Colon has thrived so much that she is currently among the top rebounders in the Northeast-10, averaging 8.4 caroms to go with 10.3 points per contest.
"She has had to play out of position for us," explained Merrimack head coach Helen Williams, "more often than I'd want a player in the post out of necessity. She's never once said, 'I'm not a post player.' She's never complained. Tiffany's played hard and is a tough kid."
"No spot bothers me. I like playing inside and I like playing outside," Colon said. "Wherever they need me, I'll play there. I try to be as diverse for the team as much as I can to help us win."
Merrimack is trying to fill the scoring gap left by graduated top-gun Amanda Shannon of North Andover.
"I ain't filling anybody's shoes," Colon said with a laugh. "I'm filling my shoes, and what I've got to do is step up and do my part, not necessarily score 25 points a game.
"I try to get second-chance points and get the defensive rebounds we need to push the ball up the court. I just crash the boards hard and score when I have the chance. We've got to learn to play together, and once we learn our roles, we'll be successful."
Williams said, "She just wants the ball. That's such a simple phrase but you can't really coach that. It comes down to her wanting the ball more than the person standing next to her, that simple but hard to get from a player."
An added bonus to playing at Merrimack has been the involvement of her father, Jose, and sister, Stephanie, a sophomore at Lawrence High.
"It's tough for them to travel, (making Maine a difficult destination), but they always come to my home games," Colon said.
"It's kind of funny, I look at my dad in the audience, trying to show me some kind of movement and telling me what to do on the court. My sister's cheering for me ... it's a great feeling to have their support. I love them for being there."
Colon is also getting help with her academics, where "obviously there's some tough times in school — balancing basketball and my studies. The school has a lot of help in tutoring, and if I need help balancing my time, I have that. It's not easy and I can't slack, and I'm definitely going to get through it and pass all my classes. It's my first priority, and I don't want my academics to jeopardize playing basketball."
Deftly juggling schoolwork and sinking baskets, she has thus far prevailed after a rejection that could have beaten down a less stalwart soul. With much work still to be done, Tiffany Colon is on a successful path.
Warriors fall to Ravens
Turnovers and second-chance points in the second half did in Merrimack in an 80-56 loss to Franklin Pierce, the No. 2 ranked team in the country in Division 2.
"I would say we sort of shot ourselves in the foot with 27 turnovers," said Williams of the miscues which led to 28 Raven points. "The majority of them were unforced and we have to stop doing that."
Franklin Pierce (5-0, 3-0 NE-10) also took advantage of weak Warrior rebounding to snare 17 offensive boards for 17 putback points, especially in the second half where a tight three-point contest was blown open by a 16-4 run sparked by Johannah Leedham (game-high 28 points) and Cynthia Gaudet (24 points, 5 for 7 on 3-pointers).
Casey Miller closed to within 37 points of 1,000 for her career, leading Merrimack (1-6, 0-4 NE-10) with 18 points. Gennifer Roy followed with 15 points while Colon added eight points and eight rebounds.
Duncan drives Warriors to .500 mark
Captain Darren Duncan used strong penetration skills to slash through Franklin Pierce for a game-high 32 points, pushing the Warrior men to an 87-71 victory last night.
Moving from 10th to 7th on the all-time school scoring list with the effort, Duncan hit the 30-point plateau for the first time since last Dec. 6 against AIC.
With only a 41-40 lead at the half, Merrimack (3-3, 2-2 NE-10) fell behind by as much as eight, but a 20-7 run capped off by a Craig Woehnker 3-pointer and a Duncan three-point play gave the Warriors a 16-point cushion at the five-minute mark.
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