Last season was undoubtedly a tough one for the Salisbury girls basketball team and head coach Dan Reichenbach. The Lady Falcons finished 0-22 last winter due in large part to a number of key injuries.

But the good news is that much of that team returns, and then some others are coming back. Madison Bettuccio was the top graduate from last year’s team, but missed much of the season due to injury.

“Coming off an 0-22 season, our goals are simple: play with confidence, put points on the board and win some games,” Reichenbach said. “I believe we will be much more competitive this year as long as we stay healthy. With the experience the girls gained last year and getting Melena [Koutch] back, we should be in most games.”

Bettuccio wasn’t the only key Lady Falcon that suffered an injury in 2019. Before she even stepped on the court, Koutch, now a senior, suffered an ACL injury last year and missed the entire winter campaign. She is back, hoping to pick up where she left off in 2018 when she started as a sophomore and averaged eight points per game.

But the driver of Salisbury’s unit is junior point guard Quinn Wittman, who averaged 10 points and five assists per game last season. She’s expected to take another leap forward this season, her third starting for the Lady Falcons.

“We have a nice combination of speed and size this year,” Reichenbach said. “Since we only graduated two seniors and due to yearlong injury problems last year, most of the girls had the opportunity to get a lot of varsity experience. They know the system we run and are gaining more confidence every day. I think we can get up and down the court with most teams.”

Sierra Rauch, Krista Bonge and Krystal Aungst all played significant varsity minutes last season and are back expecting to contribute once again. Newcomers Hannah Kamp and Katie Seiler hope to provide Reichenbach with some depth on the floor as well.

While Reichenbach believes his team has the talent to compete in the Colonial League, the bigger challenge is getting the players to believe in themselves on a nightly basis. The Lady Falcons will find out soon with the season scheduled to open on Friday night against Palisades.

“We need to play more aggressively on both ends of the floor, and learn how to use our athleticism,” Reichenbach said. “We need to play complete games and play with confidence. We are very athletic, but the girls have to believe they can win and match up with teams.”

The Covid-19 pandemic has also thrown a wrench in the Lady Falcons’ normal routine. There have been no scrimmages during the offseason, and their summer league plans were cut short due to the virus as well.

Still, Reichenbach and the Lady Falcons are hoping to turn around the program sooner rather than later.

“We had no summer leagues or offseason workouts, scrimmages, etc.,” Reichenbach said. “I give these kids credit for their great attitudes and spirit throughout this pandemic. They have worked out on their own and have done the things to get better. They have followed all the protocols and have done what is necessary to safely have a season.”

The Lady Falcons’ season-opener is scheduled for 6:45 p.m. at Salisbury High School on Friday night.