Wareham girls basketball coach David Brogioli said he’s confident that the Lady Vikings will return to the state tournament this year despite starting off with a smaller than average roster.

The team is down to just 10 players after graduating five seniors from its ranks, but each is a force to be reckoned with according to Brogioli.

“Everyone here has a solid chance,” he said. “And they all really want to make it to state.”

The Lady Vikings were knocked out of the state tournament last year by Greater New Bedford Regional Voc-Tech with a score of 12-8. They were only in the second round of the competition.

“Given a chance,” Brogioli said. “I think we can make it a lot further than that.”

New to the team this year are freshmen Ariana Judge and Laura Pinkston. They’re joined by sophomores Olivia Nascimento and Amanda Johnson and juniors Grace Cerrato, Tiarah Duarte, Molly Johnson and Jada Cooper.

Marta De Juan, another junior, joins the team from Spain.

“She’s really good,” Brogioli said. “Unfortunately she’ll be leaving us in late December.”

Senior Ryann McSherry, who said she plays everything but tennis at Wareham High School, is the team’s captain.

“I’m excited for the season,” McSherry said. “We came up three wins short of the state tournament in soccer, so this will be my last chance to make it.”

As for the team’s low numbers, McSherry said she wasn’t worried.

“When it comes to basketball, all that matters are the five on the court,” she said. “And I think no matter how you split it, we’ll be okay.”

The Lady Vikings will square off next against Joseph Case High School on Jan. 4. Tip off is at 6:30 p.m.