This scene is familiar to BG women’s basketball fans who watched these guards post two of the best sophomore campaigns in school history last season, helping the team advance to the third round of the WNIT.

Now as juniors, the defending Mid-American Conference Player of the Year (Prochaska) and an honorable mention All-American (Pontius) are back for an encore.

‘Certainly, they can’t rest on their laurels,’ said BG coach Curt Miller. ‘They had great sophomore campaigns, so it would be easy to not work hard and take for granted they’re going to have that success again.’

But with as high a work ethic as both players have, there is no chance that anything but hard work and dedication will be displayed during practice and games this season.

‘I have a lot of work to do,’ Prochaska said. ‘Every day, I can work harder than I did last year. Every day I can get better.’

And why not? That same hard work allowed Prochaska and Pontius to lead the team to a regular-season MAC Championship, score 43.5 percent of the team’s points and make more three-pointers (152) than their opponents (146) last season.

A newcomer to the team, senior transfer Tamika Nurse said a more experienced Prochaska and Pontius add a dimension to the team they didn’t have last season.

‘Tracy and Lauren are incredible,’ Nurse said. ‘I like the versatility we have in the backcourt.’

The Falcon backcourt was already strong last season, as Pontius led the team with 141 assists and Prochaska added 67 of her own. With Nurse in the equation, their assist numbers are likely to go down, but that will allow them to work on other areas of their game.

Prochaska – on the days she wasn’t limited by the flu and mono earlier this year – said she was working on penetration and finishing or making the extra pass. Driving to the hoop has become a key to Prochaska’s game after she made a nation-best 93.3 percent of free throws last season.

Miller said he thinks Pontius hasn’t even reached her potential and knows she will continue to work toward it.

‘I think she’s still got one more notch to go and I think you’re going to see a great career out of her,’ he said.

Serving as her motivation for this season will likely be the team’s second straight defeat in the MAC Tournament, which left Pontius and Prochaska in tears at the postgame trophy presentation and press conference last season.

But for all the tears they have shed together, the two have shared as many cheers and good times off the court.

‘We’re just best friends,’ Pontius said. ‘Our chemistry on and off the court is unreal. We’re like sisters.’

If they really were sisters, considering a last name change to Storm wouldn’t be too bad of an idea, as the two will likely bring lightning and thunder to Anderson Arena all season.

‘Even this year, she is becoming faster,’ Prochaska said of Pontius. ‘She’s really picked up her tempo, and she’s been playing really hard this year.’

But it’s the clutch shot from Prochaska that makes her speed worth the while.

‘She’ll always make a big shot when we need it and listening to the crowd roar gives us a lot of adrenaline,’ Pontius said.’