No holiday tournament, no problem for the Wilton-Lyndeborough girls' basketball team, who didn't let a two-game skid and a two-week layoff slow them down in their return to action against Pittsfield Friday night. 

"We needed it coming off of the Christmas break," WLC head coach Tom Crowley said after the Warriors' 34-29 win over the visiting Panthers. "We didn't have a Christmas tournament, so I wasn't sure how game-ready we would be, but the girls looked good, held their own and stayed in control the entire game."

Last year's Warriors were a couple points away from the Division IV semifinals before losing in overtime at Newmarket, but this year's WLC squad has a whole new look. With dominant forward Adri Bausha lost to graduation, presumptive starting point guard Lexi Bausha moving to Milford and a few role players moving out of town, there were plenty of open spots to fill coming into this season. Luckily for Crowley, his girls are stepping up, coming together as a team and playing hard. 

"That's how you get playing time on this team, through hard work and defense,” Crowley said.

No one epitomizes that more than senior captain Kelsey Crouse, who has shouldered a lot of the workload for WLC, from defense to rebounding and scoring. Crouse led the Warriors with 14 points Friday night. 

"It's her senior year and you can tell she wants to get the most out of the year," Crowley said. "She's looking to score. She's looking to win. I can't ask her to do much more because she's giving everything that she has on any given day. She's a glue piece. She's needed out there and she really plays that way."

Junior captain Maddy Labrecque has stepped up as well, taking over at point guard and limiting turnovers while dealing with pressure and contributing some points, incliding 10 against Pittsfield.

"She should be proud of the work she's put in," Crowley said. "She's a good shooter. She's smart on the floor. This year, she's taking a step into leadership."

Labrecque and Crouse both joined the varsity program while they were still in middle school and have worked their way to the top.

"To see both of them develop into the team leaders that they are developing into, it's nice for me to watch that, because they've put in a lot of work over the years," Crowley said.

The Warriors also get some solid contributions from returners Cailin Swett, McKenna Crouse, Izzy Swett and Maddie Clough. Exchange student Maria Arranz is a welcome addition to the frontcourt, and a couple newer players, including Blakeslee Popres, are working their way into the rotation. 

"[Popres] is scrapping out there," Crowley said. "She's getting steals. She got at least one rebound, and she had to fight for it. She's one of those little feisty ones."

A little feistiness is what the Warriors are going to need this season. With the bulk of last year's points no longer on the roster, WLC has been struggling a bit to score. They started the season with two wins before losing back-to-back games in which they scored only 33 total points combined, so defense is going to be the key this winter. 

"Our defense is definitely our strength," Crowley said. "It's not like we give up easy buckets. They have to work hard for the shots that they're making."

Friday's win should put WLC (3-2) back on track heading into Tuesday's home game against Mascenic (0-4).

After the game, a ceremony was held for retired longtime gym teacher and coach David Finch, officially renaming the school gymnasium in his honor.