MORLEY, Mo. -- Up by 20 at halftime, the Oran girls basketball team looked like a legitimate district title contender (again) as it romped past Scott County Central on Tuesday night. That's what the Eagles expect this season, and though the 2015-16 campaign is only two games old, it's never too early to start to look the part. The squad has experience, improved depth and the right girls to play the right roles to remain balanced on the floor.

But the key to it all could be a pair of dynamic freshmen, and relying that much on rookies can be a scary proposition for any coach.

"I tell you, I was nervous as heck yesterday going into the first game," Oran coach Ethan Evans said. "We got off to a slow start with a little bit of jitters, and we kind of had that tonight [against Scott County Central]. But it is [a little scary]. You're going to go through some growing pains, but we just hope by the end of the year they're not going to be freshmen anymore."

The thing of it is, most of the time Leah Cauble and Jessie Long already don't look like freshmen.

In the Eagles' season opener, Cauble led her side with 18 points and six assists in a 54-31 win over Malden. In her first ever varsity game, Long recorded a double-double with 11 points and 11 rebounds. Then, 24 hours later and with one game on their career resumes, Cauble and Long outdid themselves. The former, stepping right in as point guard, had 24 points and 15 assists, shooting 10 of 21 from the field and 3 of 5 from beyond the arc; the latter completely took over the game with 26 points and 13 rebounds, shooting 87 percent from the floor. Oran defeated the Bravettes 70-35.

It seems obvious that, as freshman, a learning curve will kick in at some point, but by the time it comes it may look more like an upward arc.

"They're two pretty special players," Evans said.

Oran coach Ethan Evans talks with the team between periods against Scott County Central Tuesday, Nov. 24, 2015 at Scott County Central High School. Evans is relying on a pair of freshman to be difference makers this season. (Glenn Landberg)

The 5-foot-7 Cauble was the known quantity coming out of last season. She dominated at the eight-grade level, averaging 28 points per game, and was a leader of a class that has gone undefeated since the sixth grade. At 2-0 at the varsity level, her first loss in four years is still awaiting her. Her demeanor, ball handling and shooting ability allowed the Eagles to move some pieces around and solidify the team, while making sure they still had the point guard they needed.

"Leah is just a floor general for us," Evans said. "She does a great job of handling the ball and pushing it. Right, left hand, it doesn't matter. And she does a pretty good job of finishing at the rim. She can step out and hit that 3. One thing that I think separates her is she can fake and pull up and hit that pullup jumper. That's something that we don't see a whole ton of with girls. The ability to jump-stop and pull up is big."

On Tuesday night, she did all of that. She handled the ball confidently, found teammates and sank shots whenever SCC gave her an opportunity. Getting wide-open looks at 3-pointers down the stretch, she was automatic.

"[I'm] focusing on not turning the ball over, mainly, and passing the ball to my teammates and getting them open shots," Cauble said.

Of her 15 assists on the night, many were to Long, for whom the Bravettes simply had no answer. The 5-10 center constantly put herself in good positions around the lane, handled every pass into the post and finished clinically with a soft touch far beyond what might be expected of an inexperienced player. Not just a presence under the goal, many of Long's baskets came on the break, where she looked like a seamless part of Oran's run-the-floor philosophy.

Long performed like a must-start piece of the puzzle, but it wasn't always that way. She moved to Oran from Bell City entering her eighth-grade year and averaged 14 points per game at that level, doing enough to push her way into the varsity picture this winter. But the Eagles coaching staff was still contemplating its options during the offseason. That is, until Long forced their hand with her preseason work.

"We were trying to think who would be in certain spots, and I had her and another girl pretty close," Evans said. "She just came out this summer and showed that she can be the second-best player on the floor for us, if not the best, depending on the night.

"She just has some amazing hands. She catches balls that normally people are not going to catch -- bullets coming at her."

Suddenly Oran has not just a physical player down low, but one who is already an integral part of the offense, with a chunk of the playbook designed to get her the basketball.

"Rebounding [is her strength] and she's good down in the post with her shot," Cauble said. "We run this transition play to get her open. Most of our plays are to get her open."

But as the grind of the season sets in and other district hopefuls stand in the way, there likely will be tough lessons for the pair to contend with. Those will continue into the future for two girls who just began their high school careers days ago.

On Tuesday, they faced a player who was in their shoes just a year ago. SCC's Johneisha Daniel had a phenomenal freshman season in 2014-15, averaging 17.4 points and 12.5 rebounds every time she stepped on the floor. Of 10 finalists for the Semoball Girls Basketball Player of the Year, she was the only freshman. Against Oran, she was held in check, searching for a way to make a consistent impact while finishing with 11 points and six rebounds.

SCC coach Matt Limbaugh saw Daniel's success last year and knows the challenge continues not just for her, but for other young players on his team. He tries to ease the transition to the varsity game by preaching the aspects that don't change, no matter what level you're playing at.

"It's just confidence," Limbaugh said. "You've got to have confidence coming in. The goal is still 10 feet and nothing changes."

Cauble and Long don't seem to be wanting for confidence, so the focus will be on making the adjustments to continue to raise their level of play on the court.

"The pace of the game is way faster," Cauble said. "In eighth grade, you can just go up, spot up and shoot a 3. With [varsity], you've got to pass it around and get your shot."

The guard's transition is certainly made easier thanks to family -- her father is Oran assistant coach Dustin Cauble. Leah says she spends time every day in the gym with her father, above and beyond regular practice.

"Her dad being an assistant coach helps a whole heck of a lot," Evans said. "He's had her in the gym lots and lots before the season started with conditioning and shooting and things like that."

Not every moment is perfect; Evans points out that Cauble has gotten off to a relatively slow start in both games so far. But when the duo is clicking, they provide just the type of balance that Oran is looking for.

There will be bumps along the road for Cauble and Long -- two games does not define a player. There will be long nights and tough games and disappointment. Somewhere along the way, probably sooner rather than later, there will be the taste of loss, which hasn't lingered on the tongue for some time. But the ceiling is high for Cauble and Long, and the Eagles hope to rise with them.