When Tara Belfield took over the Catasauqua girls’ basketball program, she figured she would be involved in a transition period.

“I went into this my first season knowing that it was supposed to be a rebuilding season but the girls definitely made it more than that,” beamed Belfield. “Winning our division, making into our league’s playoffs and then districts.

“None of that was expected, so we definitely exceeded expectations. And it makes me so excited for the future.”

The Rough Riders lost seven seniors from a 16-11 team that went to the Colonial League championship game, and the Roughies also advanced to the second round of the state playoffs.

This season, the Roughies began the season with a 2-6 record before they rebounded to win 12 of their next 16 games to finish with an overall 14-10 record.

Catty had a seven-game winning streak to end the regular season, and they won seven of their final nine games to qualify for the district playoffs. They also posted an unblemished 8-0 record to win the Colonial League South.

Junior Hailey Jenkins led the team in scoring, averaging better than 16 points per game, and she was complemented by four freshmen starters.

Catty lost to Palmerton, 50-24, in a Colonial League quarterfinal game before they routed MAST Charter School, 58-34, in an opening-round District Class 3A game. The Roughies’ season ended in a tight, 38-35 loss to Notre Dame in the district quarterfinal round.

Despite the defeat to Notre Dame, Belfield had plenty of positives in her first season.

“It was a tough loss,” said Belfield about the Notre Dame loss. “The girls put everything on the floor and worked hard. I could not have been more proud of them. The season got off to a rough start but the girls never stopped working hard. As my first season I also learned a lot.

“The highs were definitely watching Hailey being not just an awesome player but an even better leader, our seven-game winning streak to end the season, and of course our earlier win over Notre Dame.

“The strengths were definitely the bond that they created as a team and the effort that every single one of them put in to get better as a player so that the team could get better.

Every starter returns, and we’re very excited for the future.”