The Hot Springs Savage Heat girls basketball team has been making noise for a few years; is it now, during the 2019-2020 season that coach Richard Jackson and his squad will reach their crescendo?

Armed with a salty, senior-dominated roster and blessed with some other fine players in the underclassmen ranks, the Heat could be poised to make a run at post-season glory come February of 2020.

The Heat placed fourth in an ultra-competitive District 14C tournament last winter, but have their entire starting lineup back whereas much of the league underwent graduation pains and lost many of last season’s players.

The Heat return a bevy of accomplished performers led by seniors Sydney Jackson, a returning first-team 14C all-conference pick, and McKennzie Cannon, a second team selection.

Seniors Sage Jackson and Brianna Gray and sophomore Katelyn Christensen are the other three returning starters.

Senior Danielle Graham, juniors Lizzy Fisher, Emma Rae Rasmussen, Irene Bravo-Martin and Ariah Erny, sophomores Lily Winn and Moriah Lonergan, and freshmen Josie Uski and Lily DeTienne round out the roster for this season’s Lady Savage Heat.

Hot Springs alum Sam Hoff has signed on to help Jackson coach the Savage Heat.

The Heat open season play this weekend at the Western C Tip-Off tourney in Ronan, playing Lincoln at 3:30 p.m. Friday and Philipsburg at 5 p.m. Saturday.

Coach Jackson said the key for his potentially very good Heat is to keep things in focus.

“We can’t wait for Friday, we are ready to play,” he said. “We do not want to get ahead of ourselves though. Once the season starts it is one game at a time.

“The only team we want to be worrying about is the one that we are playing next,” he added, “and then we will worry about the next opponent after that.”

Jackson said that the Heat girls’ recent success in volleyball should also help their hoop mindset.

“The season they just had built up their confidence and I am thinking we can carry that over to basketball, too,” he said and then joked, “and they all look like they are halfway in shape.”