KENT, Ohio -- Trisha Krewson has taken a long, curious path to become a member of the Kent State University women's basketball team.

She grew up in Maumee and played on the varsity team as a freshman. Krew- son, now a junior at Kent State, said her basketball abilities were sharpened -- and her love of the game was forged -- in Maumee.

"About midway through my freshman season at Maumee I became a starter, and that was quite a jump -- from middle school basketball, playing against girls who are eighth graders, to playing against girls who were high school juniors and seniors. It was a big change, and it was a tough season, but it was great for me."

Krewson's father took a job near Sandusky before her sophomore year, and Krew- son became a key player in the Sandusky Perkins program that advanced to the state semifinals her junior year and lost in the regional finals when she was a sophomore and a senior.

Krewson played two seasons at Bucknell University in Lewisburg, Pa., and was the Patriot League's freshman of the year. As a sophomore she was named to the All-Patriot League second team after leading the Bison in scoring with 12.4 points per game.

"I thought playing in high school was a big change, but playing in college was really a big change," Krewson said. "The pace of the game is faster, because everyone in college was great in high school.

"Plus, you have to balance the demands of school. It was very demanding."

But Krewson felt she wasn't being challenged enough on the basketball court, so she transferred to Kent State. After sitting out last season, she has quickly become a key player for the Golden Flashes, averaging a team-best 12.3 points and 6.4 rebounds per game.

What's more, Krewson is one of only two upperclassmen on a freshman-packed team that has started this year 2-11.

"It has been a struggle, because I want to win and I hate losing," she admitted.

"It's difficult and challenging to have six freshmen, and it's a lot of hard work [to try and be a leader]. But it's my responsibility to be a leader, so I've embraced that role and I'll try to do my best."

"I loved growing up in Maumee," she said. "I went to Union Elementary and Gateway Middle and loved it, and I really struggled when my parents told me we were going to move."

Contact John Wagner at: jwagner@theblade.com, 419-724-6481 or on Twitter @jwagnerblade.

First Published January 18, 2012, 5:00 a.m.