POULSBO — The Poulsbo Junior High School girls’ basketball team has good reason to be excited this year: solid leadership, definite strengths to work with and ultimately, a lot of potential.

But one thing they do not have is time.

“We’ve got six practices before our first game,” said head girls’ coach Karla DeVries. “We’ve got a lot to do and very little time to do it.”

Nonetheless, DeVries said she believes the team will be ready for its first game Feb. 10 at Kingston.

“Things are starting to come together,” she added.

The team’s season, spanning 13 games, will come against tough middle school and junior high school opponents. But veteran players give the Panthers a solid chance of victory in all contests.

Two players DeVries is excited about are returning ninth graders Rachel Stice and Leah Seim-Brown. Stice will play the post for the Panthers, and Seim-Brown will run the offense from the point.

“(Seim-Brown) has been on variety since the seventh grade — she’s matured into an outstanding leader on the court,” DeVries said. “She can see the court well and is a great passer.”

Seim-Brown is excited about what this season could bring as well — but it will take more effort this year, she said.

“I think everyone should play really hard this year,” Seim-Brown said. “We need to take this very seriously — more than last year.”

Stice, whose sister Brenda is a senior guard for the North Kitsap Vikings, is planned to be a threat underneath the hoop.

“She’ll be a powerhouse inside,” DeVries said.

The post player and ninth grader has plans for helping her team on and off the court.

“I want to have team meetings before each game,” Stice said. “We don’t want to have any drama on the team this year.”

Stice cites her goal as a simple “flip” — but that flip is easier said than done.

“I think we were 3-7 last year,” she said. “This year, we’d like to flip it around.”

For coach DeVries, the winning is also important. But she said she realizes there are other important aspects for the success of her players.

“One of my goals is to always make sure they get better individually and prepare them for the next level,” DeVries said. “Everyone wants to have a winning season, but getting better is what is key at this level.”

The basics will be stressed the most, DeVries added.

“We’ll work on a lot of fundamentals, so by the time they go across the street (to NKHS), they’ll be successful,” she said. “They can’t get by with the heart alone across the street.”