FOXBURG — It has been over two decades since the A-C Valley girls program has been associated with winning basketball.

But this year's Falcons are on the verge of changing that. Entering tonight's game against KSAC South rival Union, A-C Valley sports an overall record of 9-4.

The last time a Falcon team finished a season with a winning record was the 1993-94 squad that went 13-12 overall.

The 2001-02 team had a 12-12 regular season before losing a District 9 playoff game.

Since then, the Falcons have struggled in their search for respect. The program has averaged just five wins over the last 12 campaigns.

“We've been the team that has been scared of other teams,” said senior guard Danielle Kaufman. “The fact that teams now look at us as a challenge, it's a good feeling.”

A-C Valley has relied heavily on its defense this year. In its nine victories, the team has allowed an average of just 26.7 points.

“We've used a man-to-man defense almost the entire season,” said A-C Valley coach Dave Sherman. “I've been drilling that since our seniors were freshmen. We are not deep enough or quick enough to be an in-your-face man team, but we have played really good help-side defense.”

Senior point guard Erin Logue has sparked many offensive opportunities with 3.2 steals per game.

“We play with a lot of intensity,” Logue said. “It's not just one player, but the whole team.”

Leadership has also played a key role, with senior captains Sadie Longo, Kaufman and Logue setting the example both on and off the court. The trio of players have eight years worth of starting experience between them.

“My daughter (Allison) is a freshman on the team and she has told me how good our seniors are at explaining things,” said Sherman. “They are smart girls, too. If I took them to a quiz bowl, we'd destroy people.”

Logue leads the team with 10.1 points and 4.8 assists per game. Longo has contributed 9.5 points and 7.5 rebounds while junior Morgan Cratty (9.8 ppg) and freshman Ellie Thompson (8.3 ppg) are also near the top of the team's scoring list.

But Sherman and his players know that the offense still has some ground to make up if it is to match the team's play on defense.

“We've gotten better, but we still need to improve our shooting, shot selection and execution against zone defenses,” Sherman said.

“We definitely need to attack the basket more and see the floor better,” said Logue, “but I think that will come for us.”

A-C Valley did qualify for the playoffs in 2011-12, the season when this year's seniors were freshmen. But that postseason trip ended quickly with an 18-point loss to Kane in the first round.

“We are aiming for the playoffs, but we also want to get past that first round,” said Longo, who believes the success of this year's team can have lasting effects on the program. “It's nice having young kids look up to us. Maybe it will get more girls to start playing basketball.”