Time and patience.

Those two things will be the key to the success for a Weatherly girls’ basketball team which always finds a way to compete - even though it usually lacks size and depth.

The good news is every starter from last season returns to the fold for coach Brian Billig. The bad news is that the Wreckers are in one of the toughest leagues around - the Schuylkill Girls’ Basketball League Division 3.

In their division alone, the Wreckers will have home and away games with a highly-touted Marian squad, a Mahanoy Area club that has dominated the division for several seasons, a perennial powerhouse Nativity team, and a Shenandoah Valley team that could be on the upswing.

But Weatherly won’t be intimated, as it has expectations to be much improved in 2022-23.

Leading the way are Bethany Houser and Emma Kane, who can light it up with their barrage of offensive abilities.

Last season, Houser scored at a 12.77 clip, while Kane was right behind at 11.68 ppg. That pair combined for 28 treys, with Kane hitting 15 of them.

The Wreckers can also turn to three other seasoned players in Briana Pugh (3.47 ppg.), Taylor Davidovich (2.14 ppg.) and Kayleigh Gaydocsik (1.27 ppg.) to have an impact on games.

Billig alluded to a strong offseason where Weatherly honed its skills.

“With everyone returning, practices and preseason workouts have moved along tremendously. The girls understand the expectations and responsibilities, which enhances our team chemistry,” said Billig.

But make no mistake about it, guiding the Wreckers’ ship will be Kane and Houser, who will be four-year and three-year starters, respectively, this season.

Their experience and chemistry together on the court is something Billig is excited about.

“That’s a big thing,” Billig said. “They understand the expectations and responsibilities. They are our leaders.

“When you combine all the playing time they’ve seen with the experience of the other girls who started last year, it has been a tremendous assist in our practices during the first week of the season.”

Billig is also high on a freshman who will see plenty of playing time.

“Kelly Reiner is a promising freshman, who brings grit and low-post prowess to the program,” Billig said.

“Abby Binder, Abby Weston and Mackenzie McGill are all newcomers and are improving each day.”

With seasoned and varsity tested players back in the fold, Billig mentioned unselfish play and familiarity as the keys to making a run to the District 11 Class A tournament.

The keys, however, come down to developing depth for the season.

Houser, Kane, Gaydoscik, Pugh and Davidovich should all have prominent roles as should Reiner and Abby Paisley - who played in every game last season.

“The league is always tough,” Billig said. “You have to be ready to play every night. Of course, Marian is always a backyard rivalry no matter the records of the two schools.

“But every game is important for seeding. There are no easy games. We must be prepared every night for the challenges each team presents.”

Billig calls this squad a hard-working and resilient group.

“We take each game one at a time. We try not to get too involved in standings or seedings as the year goes on.

“I feel it’s important to concentrate on the task for that day, and to accomplish day-to-day goals. If we can do that, the standings and seedings will take care of themselves.”