BLANCHARDVILLE — The Vikings are focused on improving from last season, in which they finished 6-12 overall and just 2-9 in the Six Rivers East. 

They return key experienced talent, and hope that a more normal offseason will help them take a step forward this winter.

Second-team all-conference guard Tessa Green is back this season, as is junior forward Chloe Schraepfer, who was honorable mention. Green averaged 9.9 points and 6.5 rebounds per game last year, while Schraepfer averaged 13.2/9.3 each night. Also back is senior forward Lexi Peterson, who put up 9.5/6 a season ago.

“We have players than can finish around the rim and make outside shots consistently,” said Linda Hendrickson, now in her sixth year as head coach. “We’ll have to limit turnovers, value all possessions we have and attack the rim. We will need to do a better job rebounding on the defensive end.”

Others returning to the hardwood this season will be senior guard Nivaeh Gross and sophomores Anna Tisch, Maddie Hirsch and Brianna Peterson.

“(They) played limited minutes last year on varsity, so I am looking for them to contribute to our scoring ability,” Hendrickson said.

The program is short the numbers to field a junior varsity team, meaning experience on the bench will be limited, which will prove a challenge running scout team in practice — as well as filling in on game day.

“We will have inexperienced players that will need to step in and give us valuable minutes,” Hendrickson said.