BUFFALO TWP - Ron Grove spent the past 17 years as a junior varsity or junior high basketball coach in the Freeport Area School District.

Now, in his first season as a head coach, he inherits a team that made it to the WPIAL Class AA Championship game a year ago.

The bad news is seven key players from that team have graduated.

"We had a team meeting and I said, 'Hey, last year they went up against a group of girls that went to the WPIAL playoffs,'" said Grove.

"They went day in and day out against one of the best teams in the state. I think that's something that can carry over," Grove added.

Grove coached the junior varsity for 10 seasons under Garrie Davies and another seven with a pair of junior-high teams - the Yellowjackets' eighth-grade girls and ninth-grade boys teams.

The team returns only two letterwinners in 5-foot-3 senior guard Laney Pastoria and 5-9 junior forward-center Emily Ferko.

Ferko scored 111 points while seeing action in almost every game.Six of the 12 varsity players are seniors and Grove is hopeful they've learned quite a bit from playing against them in practice."We have a good senior group," said Grove. "They'll add some toughness. They'll add that leadership. They've been part of a successful program."The other five seniors include Jenny Fair, Laura Garlitz, Michelle Micklow, Mimi Sypulski and Nikki Woitas."We can play 10 to 12 girls," said Grove. "It looks like that now, but you never know."Garlitz and Woitas are penciled in as starting guards, as is junior center Jamie Shockey.In 2003-04, the Yellowjackets enjoyed the best season in school history by advancing to the WPIAL Championship, where they lost to Carlynton 42-20 at Duquesne University.In the PIAA Tournament, they defeated Tussey Mountain 61-38 before losing to Seneca.The team overcame injuries to Michelle Vascik, who missed half the team's games because of a knee injury.They also lost Courtney Callas for the final seven games of the regular season before returning for the playoffs.Still, players such as Maria Lutz (9.3 points and 6.9 rebounds per game), Nicole Beggs (5.5 points, five assists and three steals per game), Julie McCorkle (10.8 ppg, 8.5 rpg), Shannon Reesman and Megan Prazenica continued to keep the Yellowjackets moving.Replacing all those players might be difficult, but Grove is keeping things simple, even though the section will once again be tough."They all look good to us, but we'll see," said Grove. "Greensburg Central is strong and Ford City still has (Lizzie) Suwala. Deer Lakesis in there and East Allegheny and Jeannette, those are always tough places to play."I told the girls our goal is to make the playoffs. It's an attainable goal. We have to do the right things out there. They're buying into it."

2004-05 Girls ScheduleDec. 3-4-FREEPORT TIP-OFF TOURNAMENT, 6 p.m.; Dec., 7-BURRELL, 6 p.m.; Dec. 10-11-at Karns City Tournament, 6 p.m.; Dec. 13-JEANNETTE, 6 p.m.; Dec. 16-APOLLO-RIDGE, 6 p.m.; Dec. 18-GRENSBURG CENTRAL, 1 p.m.; Dec. 22-at East Allegheny, 6 p.m.; Dec. 28-29-at Riverview Christmas TournamentJan. 3-at West Shamokin, 6:30 p.m.; Jan. 4-at South Allegheny, 6 p.m.; Jan. 6-at Deer Lakes, 6 p.m.; Jan. 10-FORD CITY, 6 p.m.; Jan. 13-at Jeannette, 6 p.m.; Jan. 17-at Apollo-Ridge, 6 p.m.; Jan. 20-at Greensburg Central, 6 p.m.; Jan. 22-at Carlynton, 1 p.m.; Jan. 24-EAST ALLEGHENY, 6 p.m.; Jan. 27-WEST SHAMOKIN, 6 p.m.; Jan. 31-DEER LAKES, 6 p.m.Feb. 3-at Ford City, 6 p.m.