For the Northampton girls’ basketball team this season, it certainly has been a different ride.

Last season, the Konkrete Kids featured East Penn Conference (EPC) MVP and 1,000-point scorer Grace Lesko, who helped her team to the EPC consolation game final in which they lost to Nazareth, preventing them from a state berth.

Two years ago, the Kids advanced to the second round of the state 6A playoffs, losing to eventual state champion Plymouth-Whitemarsh. They produced an overall 23-7 record.

Over the past few years, the Kids’ program has been considered among the league’s elite.

However, longtime head coach Jeff Jacksits saw the writing on the wall.

Jacksits took over the program in the 2004-05 season, and has directed his share of successful teams, winning his 300th career game over the last two years.

He knew his team this season would take some time to mold and mature.

“It will be a work in progress,” said Jacksits. “It is a different group, and they will have to learn to play with each other.”

So far this season the girls are 3-9 in the EPC and 4-14 overall, recent stuck in the midst of a five-game losing streak.

Most of the season, junior Annie Beenders has been the team’s leading scorer, averaging about 10.5 points per game as of a couple weeks ago. Sophomore Isabella Pecuch follows with about 6.6 a game, senior Tatianna Sanchez has tallied around 6.3 points, and senior Rachel Yost has posted 5.8 points per contest as of earlier this month.

Jacksits plans to be patient.

“We lost to a very good Nazareth team, and we were winning for three quarters against Palmerton,” said Jacksits about two, recent games. “We had some costly turnovers and some miscommunication on defense that cost us.

“The girls are working hard to make improvements each game. Right now, turnovers are our biggest concern. We are hoping that with each game that we are learning, and the turnovers will decrease.

“We have to remember that these girls really don’t have much varsity game experience. Hopefully, that experience from playing each game will pay dividends toward the end of the season.”