ARGYLE — The Orioles finished in a three-way tie for second place in the Six Rivers East last year, but a slew of experience graduated just months after the season ended.

The team also went through a coaching change, with Justin Jenson stepping away from the helm in favor of assistant coach Jesse Halvorsen.

What returns for Argyle are a trio of versatile senior guards, while a load of questions remaining on how the rest of the roster — and court time — will play out.

“Our size, being mostly guard-heavy, could give us challenges playing taller teams,” Halvorsen. 

Clay Ritschard, Connor Carius and Joey Hinojosa all return up top of the key. Ritschard and Carius were honorable mention all-conference picks a year ago, while Payton Flannery (honorable mention) and Gavin Johnson (second-team) each graduated.

Even with the loss of two all-conference players, plus experience in the post with Miken Godfrey, Mason Waage, Austin Bickett and Travis Dammen, all graduating. Halvorsen is still optimistic that the offense just needs some tweaking — or rather, consistency.

“I hope to improve the offensive side of the ball, being more consistent,” he said. “Our guard play with be our strength.”

Halvorsen said one of his major goals for his players is to win the conference championship, not that it will come easy.

“Monticello will return a lot of good players,” Halvorsen said of the defending league champion, while adding that Barneveld has “a lot of talent coming up” and could also push for supremacy in the Six Rivers East.

Argyle hasn’t won a conference championship in boys basketball since 1992, when the Orioles were Wisconsin Basketball Coaches Association Hall of Fame player Travis Tuttle.