Bishop Guertin's Meghan Stack will play a huge role in whatever success the Cardinals have this season. (Telegraph photo by TOM KING)

They have some unfinished business.

Yes, the Bishop Guertin High School girls basketball team had the brakes put on its Drive For Five last March when the pandemic forced the cancellation of the last two rounds of the Division I tournament.

The irony is that the Cardinals were a senior team last year, for the most part, and now the Cards will rely on sophomores “who played significant minutes as freshmen,” head coach Brad Kreick said.

We’ll know a little more of how things shape up after the Cardinals, who face Goffstown tonight in their opener, see Bedford on Sunday. The Bulldogs, Manchester Memorial, Pinkerton, and Concord are all considered prime contenders.

In Division II it looks like Hollis Brookline will again be strong locally, facing challenges from Hanover, Bow, and Bishop Brady once things get to the later rounds in the tournament.

Campbell will look to take a next step in Division III; last season the Cougars nearly knocked off heavily favored Conant in the quarterfinals; Conant and Fall Mountain are the title favorites early on.

Here’s a look at how thing shape up locally:

DIVISION I

Yes, locally, Guertin again looks like the best team, but the difference this year is age. They have that young nucleus of seven sophomores led by six-foot Meghan Stack, whom Kreick feels could dominate.

Also, look at 5-8 or 5-9 guards Kailee McDonald, Brooke Paquette and Liv Murray, all keys.

“The biggest key to our success is how quickly our talanted underclassmen mature and play with better consistency,” Kreick said.

Of course, Nashua North and South won’t be able to start games until 10 days from now due to a pandemic pause, but they’ll be competitive.

The Titans will hope to improve on a 7-11 season from a year ago with 5-5 sophomore Grace Cardin back as the returning leading scorer. They also have some size with 6-2 center Victoria Conrad and will also look to senior guards Lily Brooks (5-8) and Kaitlyn Laurendi (5-4).

But, as Titans coach Curt Dutilley said, “It’s impossible to know how we’ll do,” noting the team has practiced seven times in six weeks. Stay tuned.

Nashua South has a strong nucleus back from an 8-10 team that upset Manchester Central in the prelims before bowing out in the quarters at Bedford. They’ll be led by four seniors: 5-9 guard Aryanna Murray, 5-8 Iruka Obinelo, 5-4 Maya Rioux and 5-7 Julianna Martin. There are a half dozen other returnees and five new players to add some depth.

“We have full confidence in this group as they are motivated, talented, and ready to compete,” Panthers coach John Bourgeois said.

Last year’s contender, Merrimack, turns the page from a veteran squad to a younger team with a new coach, Bryan Duggan as Mike Soucy returns to being a full time AD. Also, Theresa Twardosky, who would have been a senior and top player, moved on to prep school.

“We have a group with not a ton of varsity playing experience but have been around a winning culture last year and understand what it takes,” Tomahawks coach Bryan Duggan said.

Duggan wants his team to be up tempo, and has a 5-8 junior in Emma Valluzzi whose athleticism should lead that trend. There are four key seniors – 5-8 Keira Bike, 5-10 Gillian Waller, 6-0 Olivia Cote and 5-5 Lilli Dabilis — and another important junior in 5-5 Shannon Shadwani.

The Broncos of Alvirne have a new coach, former Campbell boys coach Frank Girginis, a Bronco alum who has coached some of his new players at the younger levels.

It was a stunning 3-15 season last year for a team that started out well with experience and collapsed. Key players back are sophomores Paige McKinley (guard), Lyla Davis (forward) and senior forward Ella Davis.

Newcomers Jaime O’Connor (sophomore guard), Paige Boudreau (sophomore center) and Maddy Nicolosi (junior forward) should help as well.

“If we can play the way we need to play and win the phases of the game we need to win, I believe we’ll be in every game,” Girginis said as he hopes to steer the program in an upward direction.

DIVISION II

Hollis Brookline is once again a legitimate contender, eager to erase the memory of a tough quarterfinal upset loss at the hands of Bishop Brady.

There’s a big trio of 5-6 junior guard Elisabeth Stapelfeld, 5-8 junior Maggie Crooks and 5-11 sophomore frontcourt key Cheyenne Colbert, who led the team in rebounding last year as a freshman. Stapelfeld was a scoring machine in the second half of the season for the Cavs, who head coach Bob Murphy hinted are expecting big things if they, like everyone else, can get through a pandemic season.

“We have high expectations,” Murphy said, based on how deep he feels this team will be.

Some depth comes in 5-9 transfer forward Caroline Clarke and 5-7 junior Amanda Robbins off the bench. Murphy could have as many as 10 players he can use.

Milford, meanwhile, is hoping to rise up at least a little bit from the other end of the spectrum, a winless 2019-2020. Experience should help the Spartans do that led by 5-10 senor forward Sarah Dobbs (averaged nine ppg last year), 5-4 senior guard Alexa Wilder, 5-3 senior Jessie Gendren, and 5-8 sophomore forward Bailey Johnson.

“Our plan is to continue to get better every time we step on the court, practices and games,” second year Spartans coach Mike Davidson said. “Our season goals are more focused on improvement game by game.”

Souhegan, which went on pause, hopes to improve from last year’s 5-13 mark with 5-9 senior forward Hunter Stonebreaker, 5-8 junior Sabra Biddle, 5-7 sophomore point guard Kate Canavan and 5-3 junior Abby Rose leading the way. Canavan really came on the second half of last season.

“Our biggest key,” Sabers coach Mike Vetack said, “is how our younger players fill those minutes this season.”

DIVISION III

Campbell is hoping to forge ahead with its regional schedule, which will be tough as it includes mainly Division II teams. They’ll be relying on point guard Riley Gamache, who missed the opener, plus the athletic senior frontcourt duo of Karleigh Schultz and Tori Allen. Allen is an All-State center who big things are expected from this year.

DIVISION IV

Wilton-Lyndeborough once again won’t compete on a varsity level but this year will field a junior varsity team, as the Warriors, who have a proud tradition, build their numbers back up.

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