LAMBERTON — Heading into this season, the focus for the Red Rock Central girls basketball team was setting the groundwork for the future. The Falcons were looking to curate an environment that made basketball fun for the girls, and the Falcons did just that this season.

“Our big focus this year was just non-basketball stuff, building a positive environment and encouraging others to come out. We’re really struggling with participation, so that was a big one for us,” RRC head coach Mark Vogel said. “Recruiting, being a role model… team chemistry stuff and doing extra stuff at the gym so they can get better. I do feel like all of that did get better this year. It didn’t necessarily show in the win column, but going into next year, I think it’s something we can build off of.”

Coming into the season, RRC faced an uphill battle. The Falcons finished last year without a win and graduated a key player in Tia Donkersloot, who was an Independent All-Area third team selection after leading the Independent’s 12 area schools in blocks and leading the Falcons in points and rebounds.

Despite the loss, RRC put in the work to make sure they got in the win column this season. The Falcons forced some tight battles this year and eventually got in the win column with a 70-55 win over Madelia on Feb. 10.

“It felt good to win a game. The joy they had of winning and scoring points and being competitive, it was really fun,” Vogel said of the game. “The locker room was very cheerful, and it was something the girls hadn’t felt, any of them to be honest with you, because they’re all really young and weren’t on any of our teams that had won … it was pretty special just to see the fan support there.”

The Falcons fielded a notably young roster this season, rostering just two seniors in DeAnn Roiger and Ally Linder.

For Roiger, it was her first season on the varsity team. She made significant strides throughout the season and from her time picking up basketball with the junior varsity team last year, Vogel said, eventually earning her way into a starting role.

Linder was also playing for the team for the first time since eighth grade, but had a season-ending knee injury four games into the season, but remained a key part of team chemistry, Vogel said. Linder did what she could to contribute, whether it was taking stats and photos or providing energy and moral support from the bench.

“[They were] really good at encouraging the younger girls to keep trying, don’t give up, so we’ll miss both of them,” Vogel said,” We’re returning pretty much everyone for next year, but their leadership will certainly be missed.”

Paige Wondercheck was among the key contributors for the Falcons over the course of the season. The junior forward averaged a team-leading 6.5 rebounds per game and also contributed offensively with 4.8 points per game.

Sophomore Brai Olson stepped into a larger offensive role for the team with 6.4 points per game to lead the team, while Celia Vogel and Kendra Schroeder scored 5.1 and 5.0 points per game, respectively. Olson and Schroeder were also the team’s leaders in steals, with 49 for Olson and 41 for Schroeder.

One of the main things to be admired about this year’s Falcon squad was their grit and determination. Even when things weren’t going their way, they continued to fight for the full 36 minutes.

“A lot of the games where we struggled to score baskets, they played hard the whole game, all the way to the end. Just competing like that alone, I think, was huge for us,” coach Vogel said. “I do think our ball handling got better as the year went on … Once we fix some shooting and find some scoring, I really think we’re going to be hopefully finding a few more wins.”