The East Ridge girls basketball team started its season with back-to-back losses, a 12-point loss to Minnehaha Academy and a 20-point loss to defending Class 4A state champion Hopkins.

The losses didn’t worry the Raptors’ coaching staff.

“I had no concerns at the beginning of the season with our 0-2 start,” Raptors coach Ashley Ellis-Milan said. “We had a few new additions to our roster from the previous season and at the time we were still trying to figure out how to work together on the floor.”

The Raptors quickly solved the problem. Since the loss at Hopkins on Nov. 25, the Raptors have lost only twice, including a 10-game winning streak that was ended by Rosemount on Jan. 3.

After that 62-50 loss to Rosemount, the Raptors won nine consecutive games and are 19-4. Through Feb. 11, the Raptors are 14-1 in the Suburban East Conference and have won 31 of 33 conference games over the last two seasons.

Paced by guard Vienna Murray, who is averaging 24.4 points per game and has signed to play at Oklahoma, the Raptors have a balanced team. Six players are averaging between six and nine points per game — Cara Sarbacker (9.4 points per game), Amelia Ecker (8.8), Hailey Sicard (8.8), Taylor Klauer (8.3), Jenille Arrey (6.9) and Brielle Gray (6.1.)

“Cara Sarbacker has been a great addition to our team,” Ellis-Milan said. “She is a long versatile player that can do a little bit of everything on both ends of the floor, she also gives us length in the guard position, which really helps on the defensive end.

Ellis-Milan, who is in her sixth season as the Raptors coach, said Klauer, a 5-10 senior guard, “spearheads our defense”.

“She is a long, active guard who gets her hands on a lot of balls,” Ellis-Milan added. “She always has the toughest defensive assignment and does her job well and without their contributions on both ends of the floor we wouldn’t be where we are right now.”

With two weeks left in the regular season, Ellis-Milan said the Raptors, “are just taking things one day at a time and trying to improve in different areas every day.”

The Raptors, who have averaged 20 victories per season over the past four seasons, are bidding for their first trip to the state tournament since the school opened in 2009. The Raptors lost to Roseville in the Class 4A, Section 4 semifinals last season.