Ella Romeo and Macilyn Eighmy are hoping the 2025-2026 season marks the continued rebuilding of a Rhinebeck High School varsity girls basketball program that started up again in 2023.
The Hawks will host New Paltz in their season opener on Dec. 9.
“It’s been going really well,” said Eighmy, a senior. “There’s a lot of talent on the team this year, We’re all learning to play as one unit this year. I’m really excited for the games to start.”
Rhinebeck won two games in 2023-2024 and four games in 2024-2025.
“I think we’re going to have a really strong team this year,” said Romeo, a junior. “We’ve been working really well together. We’ve grown a lot since last year.”
This year’s team is still young with three seniors, seven juniors and four freshman. Abigail Connolly and Noel Kohout are returning seniors.
“We’re going to start from scratch and work our way up,” said coach Marc Burg. “Our goal is to continue to improve. We’re looking to be better than last year. I’ll really depend on the development of our young players and how well they play as the season goes on.”
The Hawks hosted Hudson in a scrimmage before the Thanksgiving break, where the players had the chance to play an opponent other than their teammates and to learn what worked offensively and defensively.
Rhinebeck hopes wins will result from what they learned in the scrimmage.
“I hope we can win as many games as possible, build the program and continue to have a strong girls basketball program at Rhinebeck,” said Eighmy.
The goal is qualifying for sectionals.
“Our goal is to always make sectionals, but it’s a growing process,” said Burg.