A year ago, Northwestern Lehigh came into the season with all five starters returning.

The Tigers went on to finish the season 24-5, just one win shy of the school record.

They took home silver medals in the Colonial League, and defeated North Schuylkill 51-34 in the consolation round of districts to qualify for states.

Northwestern ran into Neumann-Goretti, a team that coach Chris Deutsch said was the best he had coached against in his long coaching career, in the opening round of states to end its season.

Coming into this season, there are losses from last year’s roster, but expectations for the team remain high.

For four seasons, Brook Balliet and Cara Thomas were starters at the guard positions and built a strong chemistry that will be hard to replace. Paige Bissell didn’t play high school basketball in her junior season, but returned for her senior season and played a valuable role off the bench.

Losing Thomas means losing the all-time leading scorer in Northwestern basketball for both the boys’ and girls’ lists with 1,537 points. She was the Colonial League MVP last season, averaging 18.1 points, 5.1 rebounds, 4.3 steals, and 3.4 assists per game last season. At the other guard position, Balliet averaged 6.5 points per game in her senior season, while Bissell contributed 4.2 PPG.

With both guard spots open, Hannah Gober will transition into a guard spot for Northwestern in her senior season. All three seniors are also strong defensive players for the Lady Tigers.

While Thomas was busy rewriting the record book, Natalie Conner opened eyes in her freshman season with 455 points.

Without Thomas on the court, teams may be able to devote more coverage to Conner, but she is talented enough to adjust and still be a dominating player in the Colonial League.

“For me, upping my three-point percentage and trying to get better is a key,” said Conner of her goals for her sophomore season. “I know that 1,000 points is within reach, but that’s a goal for me, and I never am going to be the type of player who is going to look a teammate who is open and not try to get the ball to them. It’s not just about my scoring, it’s also about passing, being a good ball handler, and spreading the ball around.”

Olivia Reinhart became a presence down low for the Tigers, and is back for her senior season.

Senior Emma Freeman, who has been a part of the success both on the court as well as on the softball diamond, looks to bring an element of the softball team’s success to the hardwood.

“I think that a strong chemistry off the court leads to success on the court,” Freeman said. “That’s true with the softball team and I think it’s true here, too. I want to try to bring that along to help the team now and down the road.”

Deutsch is back for his 23rd season as the team’s coach, and is looking forward to the new season. He believes his team has intangibles that will make them stronger this season than they have been in the past.

“I love seeing our girls have success in other sports because I know that they have been tested in big games, and they can handle themselves in those spots,” said Deutsch. “The other thing is that I have probably had the most fun coaching that I have had with any team in the last 10 years with these girls. They are coachable. They work hard. They get along, and they’re dedicated to playing the game and to helping each other succeed.

“I look forward every day to going to practice. With girls like these, it never gets old.”

The season gets underway this weekend, with Northwestern playing in the Hamburg Tip-Off Tournament on Friday and Saturday. It opens the Colonial League portion of its schedule Tuesday at Northern Lehigh. The Bulldogs were a much-improved team last season and reached the quarterfinals of both the Colonial League and District 11 tournaments.