The Fuqua School varsity girls basketball team began its season Monday night with a close game against visiting Goochland High School that ended in a 28-24 loss for the Lady Falcons but proved instructive.

Daniel Eacho, a first-time head coach, had a clear message he drove home to his Fuqua players after the game.

“Regardless of the outcome of this game, it’s a long season,” he said. “And we found stuff we need to work on and get better at, and we found some stuff that we’re good at that we can continue to improve on.”

Leading the Lady Falcons on offense were senior Anna Cyrus and freshman Abbie Schmidt, who contributed eight points apiece. Sophomore Sallie Vick added seven points.

Fuqua finished last season with a record around .500, its run coming to an end in the first round of the state playoffs with a 53-41 loss to Wakefield School.

The Lady Falcons return this year without their leading 2015-16 scorer, Taylor Frink, who graduated, but the majority of their key contributors are back.

The team is composed of three seniors, five sophomores and four freshmen.

“We have five returners that are going to be in our starting five, so I like even though that we’re young in terms of our classification, we do come back with some experience,” Eacho said.

Eacho, who is also an assistant coach for Hampden-Sydney College’s basketball team, previously served as a volunteer assistant coach for the Monacan High School varsity boys basketball team that won the Virginia High School League Group 4A state championship earlier this year.

He also was an all-conference forward/center for Roanoke College after having played at Monacan.

Eacho is optimistic about what the Lady Falcons can do this year, led by Cyrus, Vick and senior Katie Haney.

Cyrus, also a soccer standout, is quick, athletic, reads the game of basketball well and is a leader on the court at the point guard position, Eacho said.

He said that Vick plays the guard and wing and does a little bit of everything for the team, including ball handling, penetration into the paint, shooting and rebounding.

Haney, who will be playing softball in college, is a strong athlete as a forward/center and a vocal, encouraging leader both on and off the court, Eacho said.

He pegged freshman guard Carmen Reynolds and sophomore shooting guard Hannah-Gray Schmidt as up- and-comers.

Fuqua (0-1) visits Roanoke Catholic School on Wednesday at 6 p.m.