Head coach Eric Gidney is excited about the potential for this year's Lehighton girls basketball team.

Coming off a season that saw an extremely young team show it could play with some of the best teams on its schedule, Gidney is hoping this is the year the Indians show they can beat some of those teams.Lehighton was just 7-15 overall last season and 5-9 in the Schuylkill League. But Gidney is expecting those numbers to improve this year."In our first season in the Schuylkill League, we showed we can challenge some of the elite and storied programs so we won't sneak up on anyone this season," said Gidney. "This year, I feel like we are capable of beating anyone on our schedule if we play our best basketball."Our goal is simple. We want to play the best basketball we can play every single time we step on the court. If we do that, great things will happen."That confidence stems from several factors, but first and foremost among them is a solid core of returning players.Leading the way are Aubrey Blasiak, the team's MVP and leading scorer last season, and Skylynn Faust, who was second on the team in both scoring and rebounding a year ago. Blasiak averaged 10.1 points a game while Faust averaged 7.5 points and 9.3 rebounds per contest.Blasiak and Faust are part of a talented group of sophomores, that also includes Julia Frey and Savanna Buchinsky, who Gidney will be counting on this season."The sophomores have really stepped up their play," said Gidney. "But they have also done a good job of blending in and becoming a part of the team. Blasiak, Faust, Frey and Buchinsky are a solid core for us."But the Indians aren't just relying on underclassmen. Allie Rossino leads a group of seniors who will be counted on as well."Allie is a returning starter at point guard who leads our quick tempo playing style," said Gidney. "But we have five seniors this year and they have all been providing us with tremendous leadership. They set the tone for us each and every day."In addition to Rossino that group includes Samantha Muffley, Jenna Beck, Christina Drofich and Holly Bollinger, all of whom saw action as reserves a year ago.Rounding out the varsity roster are junior Jada Whiteman and freshman Brenna Long. Whiteman was a top reserve on last year's squad, who provided instant offense off the bench. She was the team's fourth leading scorer at just under six points per game. She has made a strong recovery after suffering an ACL injury late last season and should be ready to contribute.Lehighton has gone six seasons without qualifying for the District 11 playoffs. Gidney thinks it's time to end the streak."Our goal is to be a district qualifier," he said. "We return our two leading scorers from last season in Aubrey (Blasiak) and Skylynn (Faust) and we have a number of other key contributors coming back."We had a nice offseason. The girls have worked hard and played a lot of basketball. We're excited about the season."