The young Pike County Lady Bulldogs are hungry to improve on last year’s four wins and eager to see what a new area alignment will bring.

The Bulldogs competed in the Straughn Thanksgiving Tournament on Monday and Tuesday and even though they finished 0-3, coach Todd Reynolds believes his team is heading in the right direction.

“The process is always going to take longer than you wanted to,” Reynolds said. “Because they are young it’s going to take time. I do see improvement, but it’s going to take longer.”

Reynolds has an eye on doubling the win total and making a push for the post season.

“I think that is realistic,” Reynolds said. “I think sneaking into the post season as two seed is possible. I am feeling pretty good. We can even inch towards double digit wins, but it’s going to take commitment from the players and that is the big x-factor.”

To do that, the Bulldogs will have to mold together a group that features mainly young players, while still mixing in a handful of veteran seniors and juniors.

“It starts with the players,” Reynolds said. “The coaching staff has a vision for the future, but until the players share that vision it’s going to be a long process. This young group is the future of the program. That’s not say we can’t get the players now to get them to where they want to be.”

The 2016 roster features two seniors, two juniors, and three sophomores and a mix of freshman, eighth-graders and seventh-graders.

Only one of the seniors, Samori Lampley, is a returning player.

The goal of getting the Bulldogs into the tournament was to get the player some experience and begin to mesh together as a unit.

“The whole purpose of the tournament was to get us an idea of what these players can do,” Reynolds said.

Reynolds enters his second year as head coach and after last year he hopes his style of play and his message is getting across to his players.

“Each year you seem to lose a few players,” Reynolds said. “I lost two players to transfer last year and there is a threat of injuries. I am hoping to continue to build a nucleus.”

The Bulldogs will be part of a new wide-open area in 2016, one that consists of Wicksburg, Houston Academy, Providence Christian and Daleville.

“I think it’s an interesting area,” Reynolds said. “Daleville is at the top and I don’t question that. I really believe the rest of the pack will be very balanced. I think all four of us will be battling for a playoff spot.”

The Bulldogs will continue their season on December 6 when they take on Goshen.