BLANCHARDVILLE —  The Vikings may have lost three key players to graduation, but the team has been in this situation before and adjusted. Head coach Linda Hendrickson is confident her team will respond to pressure.

“Without having a JV team the past few years, our freshman and sophomores have had to learn to step up and play against juniors and seniors,” Hendrickson said. “I have always been proud at how quickly the girls adjust.”

Pecatonica graduated Tessa Green, Lexi Peterson and Niveah Gross, all of whom received all-conference accolades.

“Tessa was our leader on the court, averaging 9.3 points per game,” Hendrickson said. “Lexi was dominate in the paint, averaging 13.3 points and 7.2 rebounds per game and Niveah Gross always drew the card in defending the other team’s top players.”

Senior Chloe Schraepfer leads all returners with 8 points and 7.1 rebounds per game. Junior Anna Tisch was the next highest scorer with 7.1 points per game, while sophomore Diana Hendrickson grabbed the second most rebounds with 3.9 per game.

Newcomers Loretta Tisch, Mikaela Gross and Brooklyn Johnsrud — all underclassmen — will need to learn quickly and step into new roles.

“Loretta will help with putting pressure on the defensive end, and she has the determination to finish at the hoop,” Hendrickson said. “We expect that she will bring the energy to the team. Mikaela will help with scoring, while we can see Brooklyn helping on the defensive end with loose balls and getting steals.”

Scoring will be the main focus for the Vikings, as the graduated seniors supplied most of the points.

“We will need to replace scoring as last year seniors were the primary scorers on the team, but I have seen in these the girls the desire to compete and score,” Hendrickson said. “They just needed the opportunity for themselves to show their ability and gain confidence in it.”

While Hendrickson is confident that Albany will be a conference contender, she believes the rest is in the air.

“Coach Doescher has a good system and prepares his girls very well for the season,” Hendrickson said. “Otherwise, I think it will be an interesting season, as there have been coaching changes and a lot of good quality players graduated last year. It can be anybody’s year, including us.”