When Maraya Bowen tells you that the toughest thing that she's had to work on to play varsity basketball is to be more aggressive, it's easy to believe.

The Emmaus senior is soft-spoken and smiles way too much to be mistaken for being aggressive, but on the court, she's learning to play a tougher game, which has helped her develop this season.

In her latest effort, Bowen scored 11 points in Emmaus' 59-39 loss at Northampton last Friday. She also played strong defensively and pulled down six rebounds for the Lady Hornets, who fell to 3-5 overall on the season and 2-3 in the Lehigh Valley Conference.

"I've worked on boxing out and being more aggressive, because I do have a soft touch, but I have to work on going into people and getting more contact," said Bowen after Friday's game.

When you compare the player that Bowen is now to the player she was just a year ago, there is a definite sign of more toughness around the basket. Bowen believes that her team, which has struggled their last couple of games, can come back and make a run over the rest of the schedule. Last year, Emmaus lost just seven games, so their record can be a little disappointing.

"We're just looking to find something to click for us," said Bowen. "But I know we can make it far, we have the talent and we have the heart to do that."

Bowen found playing time here and there last season, but this season, she's developed into a starter and is on the floor much more than in the past. Her increased playing time is a testament to the hard work that she's put into her game.

"I love, with a capital L-O-V-E, the way Maraya Bowen played tonight," said coach Billy Dunn after the loss to Northampton. "She battled and played hard. Her effort was fantastic tonight, so I told her, 'I am so proud of the way you're playing.'"

Bowen is looking at colleges close to home, preferably no more than an hour away. "My family is so important, so I want to stay close," said Bowen, whose usual smile grows even bigger when she talks about her family.

Dunn admits that he was fortunate to inherit a squad last year that had three seniors going to play college ball, one at Division I and the others at Division II and III. That talent helped Emmaus to tits 15-7 record, but now, the harder work begins developing other players into those quality types of players that he inherited as leaders last season.

"That just doesn't happen a lot [to have players like that as a first-year coach], so we were fortunate and last year may have been a little bit of an anomaly," said Dunn. "This season, I may take some heat for playing younger girls, but we have to keep developing players. There are no guarantees. These girls need to have a ball in their hands. They need to be out in the backyard, shooting, every single day and if they don't do that, we're not going to be a good basketball team."

Freshmen Jenna Lessel and Sally Baer are seeing increasing minutes and Brooke Cihocki has just joined the team from the JV team and got some second half minutes against Northampton. Dunn's team is still very young, with just three seniors again this season, so there is a lot of developing to do for the young girls coming along.

Dunn is banking on the fact that his team isn't afraid of hard work and he's seeing a lot of dedication from the players on his roster.

The Hornets worked hard to cut Northampton's 20-point lead in the second half down to 10, thanks in part to back-to-back three-pointers from Beth Wiseley, but Northampton was able to stop the Emmaus rally and rebuild the lead.

"We're continuing to work hard and the effort is there," Dunn said. "I don't know that there is a team that works harder than my girls, but right now, we're missing too many layups and not hitting foul shots and that's been a major difference for us."

After playing seven of its first eight games on the road this season, Emmaus is now home for four of the next five games, looking to establish a run that gives them some late-season confidence.