BLANCHARDVILLE — Pecatonica finished last season with just two conference victories and seven overall. Even still, the Vikings saw a lot of young talent get vital minutes on the hardwood.

“Our goal this year is to do better than we did last year,” said head coach Linda Hendrickson. “With the pandemic it will be a challenge as you may be able to play and then not play for a week or more.”

Pecatonica (7-16, 2-10 Six Rivers East) was overmatched much of the year last year. With a delayed start this winter, it leaves even less time for the team to come together.

“Our season has been delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic,” Hendrickson said. “We will not officially start practice until Dec. 7. As a result, we have to move a bunch of games so our schedule has not been set as it is changing as we try and reschedule our conference games. It will be an interesting year.”

The Vikings didn’t have a single senior on last year’s team, so the entire roster was able to return. Two players earned honorable mention honors, Tessa Green, now a junior, and Chloe Schraepfer, now a sophomore. Also back are seniors Lily Busser and Emily Zimmerman, and juniors Niveah Gross and Lexi Peterson. Five freshmen join the mix this winter: Maddie Hirsch, Anna Tisch, Piper Garthwaite, Brianna Peterson and Alyssa Cassidy.

“All six of our returning varsity players played significant minutes last year so we have a core group who have played together for years and understand the offense and defense that we run,” said Hendrickson, who would also like to see her players attack the rim when the opportunity arises. “Our depth will be our biggest challenge this year. Our incoming freshmen will need to step up and fill in.”