There’s no question that last season was a tough one for the Salisbury girls basketball team. The Lady Falcons won just three games last winter.

With a core group of experience returning in 2020, head coach Dan Reichenbach isn’t shying away from high goals as the Lady Falcons enter year No. 2 under his tutelage.

“[Our goal] is to double or triple last year’s win total with the hopes of making districts and keep developing the younger girls,” Reichenbach said. “We had 20 girls come out this year and only have two seniors. We also had a big turnout for junior high, so numbers are trending up.”

Erica Holben, Katie Rutt and Allison Mizgerd are the three main seniors that graduated from last season’s squad. Holben was a starter all season, while Rutt saw time in the starting lineup and as a rotation player.

But there is experience back, although some of it may still be relatively new to the varsity stage. Sophomore Quinn Wittman returns to lead the Lady Falcons’ offense after averaging eight points and five assists per game. She’ll once again be a key piece in how much Salisbury can improve this winter.

Senior forward Madison Bettucio is back as Salisbury’s most experienced varsity player. She averaged five points and six rebounds per game last season and figures to be one of the top frontcourt players in the Colonial League.

“We will be quick at the guard position and should be able to play pressure defense,” Reichenbach said. “Madison Bettucio has the ability to be one of the better post players in the league. Quinn Wittman will be one of the best guards in the league, especially with having started every game last year as a freshman.”

Surrounding those two will be junior guards Sierra Rauch and Krystle Mohry, both of who return after seeing valuable varsity time last season. One name, unfortunately, that might not be available is junior Melena Koutch.

“Unfortunately junior Melena Koutch, who was a starter and major contributor last year, will most likely miss the season as she recovers from an ACL injury she suffered during track season. Her role on the team will be hard to replace.”

Reichenbach will look to a number of newcomers to hopefully help fill Koutch’s absence. Juniors Kayla Trenge, Arianna Young and Rory Watson, along with sophomores Krista Bonge and Gabby Lozado, are a few of those newcomers looking to make in impact.

“For most of the girls, basketball is not their first sport, so they don’t play year-round,” Reichenbach said. “We also have to understand that it is a long season, so we can’t let a tough loss carry into the next game.”

Another key is for the Lady Falcons to stay away from the injury bug, which bit them last season at times.

“Staying healthy is always an issue,” Reichenbach said. “We have to play tough defense because points might be tough to come by, especially early in the season as the girls gain confidence and experience.”

Notre Dame (Green Pond), Northwestern and Southern Lehigh are among the league favorites with the season underway next week.

The Lady Falcons open the season on Monday against Pen Argyl at home at 6:45 p.m.