GODFREY – The final game of a disappointing 2015-16 season for Alton Redbirds girls basketball ended in a disappointing defeat.

But Alton coach Bob Rickman took solace in a Class 4A regional matchup with an 18-win Chatham Glenwood team that brought an overtime loss he called “the best team effort I have seen from an Alton team in my three years here.”

Building on that effort is the goal in 2016-17 for the Redbirds, who must replace their top two players in 1,000-points scorer LaJarvia Brown and post player Jewel Wagner. Brown averaged 16 points per game, while Wagner scored 7.8 points with a team-leading 8.8 rebounds a game.

Alton finished 3-22 last season after going 5-22 in 2015. The Redbirds are hoping to regain some of the momentum built when Rickman’s first season in Alton produced a 15-13 record that included a 7-7 mark in the Southwestern Conference.

“We are in one of the toughest conferences in the state and very well we could see a SWC school win a state championship,” Rickman said. “We lost as much as any team to graduation with LaJarvia and Jewel. It is hard to replace two players like that with the amount of youth and inexperience on our roster.”

Edwardsville appears loaded for a shot at a Class 4A state championship run and is expected to win an eighth successive SWC title. Alton has more modest expectations for a program with three seniors, two juniors, nine sophomores and 11 freshmen.

“We have continued to add numbers to the program, which is helpful in having teams at each level that can compete without borrowing and constantly moving players around,” Rickman said. “You will likely see the varsity roster change throughout the season. With the number of young players we have, some just need the experience of practice to help their development.”

The Redbirds opened their season Wednesday night with a 58-25 loss to Calhoun in the Alton Tip-Off Classic. Freshman Rayn Tally scored 12 points to lead Alton against the defending Class 1A state champion.

Joining Tally in the starting lineup were senior Kenya Burnett, junior Diarra Smith and sophomores Allurah Bowens and Deija Carter. Sophomore twins Kivona Young and Kiava Young, sophomore Leilani Hill and senior Alexia Rodgers completed the nine-player rotation for the Redbirds.

“When you’ve got one senior starting, one junior starting, and then everybody else on the bench is pretty much a freshman or sophomore and none of them have played significant varsity minutes,” Rickman said, “it’s going to be tough. There are other young teams out there. But we’ve got a lot of things to work on.”

Alton will be short-handed early. Sophomore guard Cri’shonna Hickman is not expected to play until the Redbirds begin SWC play Nov. 29 at Belleville East and senior Ayonna Clanton is hoped to be back in January.

“Kenya Burnett will be relied on for veteran leadership, especially early on,” Rickman said of the 5-foot-7 senior. “A lot of girls on our roster will see significant varsity action for the first time this season.”

Brown was a dynamic offensive player for the Redbirds and Wagner gave an undersized team a presence in the lane. Both graduated and the Redbirds remain undersized, so points could be limited while Alton searches for an identity.

“A major focus for us has to be defense,” Rickman said. “We are not going to have a player like LaJarvia to drive our offense, but we should have more balance. It will just take time to develop the chemistry they need.”

A highlight of the Redbirds’ schedule returns with the second edition of the Great Rivers Shootout, which welcomes a sponsor in Liberty Bank. Locals Calhoun, Civic Memorial and Jersey joins SWC teams Collinsville and Belleville East in a full Saturday of girls basketball that brings in Memphis suburb Arlington along with Missouri entrants Incarnate Word, Hazelwood Central, Parkway North, Francis Howell, St. Joseph’s Academy, Festus and Washington.

Greg Shashack may be reached at 618-798-1486 or on Twitter @gregshashack