In his third year as the Palmerton head girls basketball coach, Dan Beck is looking forward to the opportunities that await his team this season.

After finishing 15-9 a year ago and qualifying for both the Colonial League and District 11 playoffs, the Blue Bombers are looking to improve upon those finishes.

With several key players returning, and plenty of capable talent looking to jump in to the success, Beck remains optimistic his team can take that next step.

At a quick glance, Beck’s group possesses strengths in both quickness and athletic ability, which combined with their positive attitude, has helped in the early going.

However, a lack of height, along with several players having very little to no varsity experience, could hinder the team a bit.

“We got a late start to the season this year and we missed five practices,” said Beck, whose team ended a string of four straight losing seasons and finished with a 12-5 mark in the league. “The team has been very positive, and are getting better daily. Of course, with that said, we would like to be competitive in every game and learn to play together as a team.”

Graduation took key players such as Kayla Cincilla, Casi Papay, Emily Recker and Hollis Guedes.

Cincilla averaged 8.92 points per game, while the other three all saw significant time.

Junior Brianna Moore (F/G) spearheads the returning talent, along with sophomore Bethie Morgan (PG) and junior Raegan Nemeth (SG).

That trio led Palmerton in several offensive categories a season ago, and look to lead the Bombers again.

Morgan netted 12.61 ppg a year ago during her first varsity season to lead the team and also hit 25 three-pointers, while Moore was Palmerton’s second-leading scorer at 10.05. Nemeth played in every game, averaged 6.83 points and was tops on the team with 35 treys.

Also looking to aid the Bombers are Megan Matsko (freshman, forward), Kelsey Balliet (sophomore, forward), Kiersten Gursky (senior, forward), Hannah Barry (freshman, guard), and Sydney Frantz (freshman, guard).

With a talented troop of newcomers to his roster, Beck hopes that the inter-squad competition will translate into competitive results as the season moves forward.

“We do have goals for our team to compete in the league and district playoffs again,” said Beck. “Hopefully, we will get the chance to accomplish these goals.”