Bishop Guertin and second year coach Olivia Orlando are hoping to take the next step with a young team. (Telegraph file photo by TOM KING)

The Nashua area has a rich girls basketball tradition, going back to the Nashua High School dynasty and more recently the one by Bishop Guertin.

Last year, though, was a bit different. The Alvirne Broncos were the only girls hoop team to make it as far as the quarterfinals, so let’s take a look and see if the Broncos will get back there and be joined by anyone else across the four divisions:

DIVISON I

The Broncos are hoping to pick up right where they left off last season and take another step.

“This season is about raising the bar in all aspects of our game on and off the court,” Broncos coach Frank Girginis said. “The girls know we must look up to where we want to go and not back to where we’ve been.”

Leading that move onward and upward is senior point guard Ella Hartson, junior guard Lexi Floyd and sophomore Courtney Anderson. Girginis is counting on the intangibles.

“Our success,” he said, “will come down to the things that do not show up on the stat sheets.”

The BG Cardinals, who lost a tough first round game at Salem in which they had a double digit first-half lead, graduated just three seniors from a team that was chock full of freshmen and sophomores. Keep an eye on a few of the many returning players like sophomore guard Holly Dufoe, 5-10 junior forward Thalia Drapeau, and sophomore point guard Jas Rosario. This will be the case for awhile as they had just one junior on last year’s varsity, guard Ayla Regan, who is now the team’s lone senior. Keep an eye on this team.

Both Nashua North and South lost in the first round on the road last winter, but showed promise. Nashua South returns with its small but quick lineup that at times could shoot the lights out of a gym. Seniors Karina O’Donnell (5-4), Maren Lowell (5-1) plus junior guards Nicole De Jesus and Addie Borden (both 5-1) will be the mainstays.

“We’ve got key players stepping up,” South coach John Bourgeois said. “But with a lot of younger players, it’s a process. … The goal is to compete in every game, improve every day, and take things one step at a time.”

The Titans of Nashua North will also be looking to take the next step, led by last year’s leading scorer, sophomore guard Lily Small. Other key returners include junior guard Angie King and junior forward Jordan Cottier. The Titans will also receive a big boost from the return after a year’s absence due to injury of senior guard Aidan Walker.

The Titans have a tough start to the season with last year’s finalists Pinkerton and Bedford on the early slate, both considered as strong as last year if not better.

“This group is surrounded by a nice mix of players with good varsity experience and a couple of upcoming freshmen who look to impact the season in a big way,” North coach Curt Dutilley said. “The hope is to build on last year’s momentum.”

Merrimack has a new head coach after last year’s tough non-tourney season in Kaitlyn Petrocelli. She’s got a squad led by senior guard Julia Hoag, juniors Avary Cruz (forward) and Kesley Ledoux (guard), plus promising freshmen Meghan McCarthy (guard) and Abby Herod (forward). After last year’s struggles, there’s nowhere to go but up.

“This will be a rebuilding season for us,” Petrocelli said. “I’m very excited to see the potential of our team. With a young roster and only one senior, we’ve got a great opportunity to focus on development and set the foundation … We’re fortunate to have some strong returners, along with two very promising freshmen.”

Overall in Division I, as Dutilley said, there’s Pinkerton and Bedford at the top. Keep an eye on the team BG opens up with on the road, 2023-24 Division II champion Concord Christian that has moved up now to Division I. If CC was to win the title, they would have a historic trifecta: Champions in Division III, then II, then I. Amazing.

DIVISION II

Milford Coach Michael Davidson has plenty back, including seniors Ellianna Nassy, Avery Fuller, Claire Cote, Lulu Maguire and junior Shea Hansen (11.2 ppg to lead the team), plus promising newcomer Lexi Bausha, a sophomore who transferred in after averaging 14.4 points a game for Wilton-Lyndeborough last year. Maguire, arguably the team’s best player early on last year, will return at some point during the season after missing most of last season with an ACL injury suffered in the Nashua Christmas Tourney.

Davidson is counting on experience to improve on last year’s 8-11 record that saw the Spartans lose to John Stark in the first round.

“The four returning seniors and last year’s top scorer, Shea Hansen (, have played tons of basketball together dating back to their elementary school years as travel basketball players,” Davidson said. “They’ve been waiting for this season to come most of their entire lives…We’ve made the playoffs the past three seasons an reached the quarterfinals two years ago. Now they hope to take it one step – or two – further. But there’s a lot of work ahead to have a chance.”

At Souhegan, new coach Greg Cotreau is trying to instill a new level of intensity, and will have four key players to set that tone in 5-2 senior guard Tess Jancar, 5-4 senior guard Phoebe Faucher, 5-7 junior guard Zofia Rosenfield and 5-7 sophomore forward Lanai Hickman.

“We have a great group of athletes who are hungry to improve and work hard,” Croteau said, noting he’s put in a whole new system on both ends of the floor. “We have to get comfortable with being uncomfortable and a big part of that is raising the intensity level in every practice and understanding you play like you practice.”

Hollis Brookline is looking forward to its well-balanced roster, that includes key returners like seniors Anika Carlson and Emily Tebbetts, plus juniors Ana O’Donnell, Brooke Bouchard, Payton Dunn and Samantha Disco. Add in freshmen Ysabel Ramas, Ainslee Thompson, Liv Langfield plus sophomore Mya Blackman, and HB gets some much-needed depth that it may have lacked a year ago (first round ouster). With six-footers Carlson and Blackman combining with the shooting of players like Disco, Tebbetts, Dunn, and driving ability of O’Donnell, there may be a good inside-outside game for HB. “We’re poised for a competitive season, blending experience, versatility, and youthful energy,” Cavs coach Heidi Moore said.

DIVISION III

The Cougars are hoping to improve from 6-10 a year ago, and have Abigail Guerrette as their leading returning scorer – she was third on the team last year. They have some size in the interior with Kayla Denwiddie, and junior McKenzie Ripley may provide floor leadership for coach Hannah Neild’s team.

DIVISION IV

WILTON-LYNDEBOROUGH GIRLS – The Warriors have three returning starters: senior guard Kelsey Crouse, junior guard Maddy Labrecque, and junior forward Cailin Swett.

“They’re all smart players,” said Warriors coach Tom Crowley, whose team last year won 13 games but lost in the Division IV quarters. “We need o play with an ege, be smart about it, and stay poised.”

Crowley feels the division this year is wide open, so the Warriors, who just a few years ago were trying to recover from a couple of years of JV ball only, hope to make some noise.