Colby's women's basketball team did some growing up this season, says head coach Tricia O'Brien, whose squad compiledan 18-9 record and advanced to the finals of the ECAC championships.     Starting three sophomores and two freshmen, the Mules overcame their lack of experience with hard work and talent, led by first-year sensation Kim Condon, who averaged 18 points and six rebounds a game. Condon, who already is on a pace to become a career 2,000-point scorer, was the first Colby women's basketball player to be named a District I All-American. It was one of a mantel-full of awards, including Rookie of the Year honors from NESCAC, State of Maine, ECAC and the New England coaches association. "She is a great kid; a quiet leader," O'Brien said. "She clearly established herself as the top first-year player in New England."     But the key to Colby's success was its team play, O'Brien says. "We're a dangerous team because we have several players who can step up and hit a shot when we need it," she said. Sophomore Erin Cole-Karagory averaged nearly 13 points a game, and both Mandy Cochrane '01 and Jen McGonagle '00 scored in double figures several times. McGonagle led the team in rebounding.     The player who perhaps best personified the team was Suzanne Heon '00, whose courageous play after recovering from her second reconstructive knee surgery in less than a year inspired teammates. Heon spent much of her freshman season sidelined by a torn anterior cruciate ligament that was surgically repaired in time for her to rejoin the team last fall. In the Mules' eighth game, Heon "blew out her other knee," O'Brien said. That knee was subsequently repaired and Heon came back in time to play a handful of games late in the season. "She was in major pain, playing with a brace, but she wanted to be out there. Watching her go out on the court and play, and play well, was a highlight of our season. She became the emotional leader of the team," O'Brien said.     When Colby played in the ECAC semifinal against Trinity--the same team that last year eliminated the Mules from the tournament--Heon had her best game. She scored 17 points in the second half "and played with her old confidence," O'Brien said, as Colby won 71-51 to advance to the tournament's final game. Williams then defeated the Mules 77-66, but Heon and the team had moved one step closer to their ultimate goal, O'Brien said. "The toughness that Suzanne showed rubbed off a little, I think, and that was important. This team has the talent and they work hard. When they combine that with the toughness it takes to win against the top competition, they will be very, very hard to beat."      With her starting five returning intact and another year of experience to build upon, O'Brien is optimistic about the Mules' future. "Winning the ECAC, going to the national tournament, those goals are within our reach," she said. "We would like to be the first Colby women's basketball team to reach the nationals."