The Wareham High School girls basketball team will be going to the playoffs this year – and their first opponent is one of the toughest they have faced.

Coach Dave Brogioli said that as the 13th seed, Wareham will face off against fourth seed team Coyle-Cassidy on March 2.

The Viking girls won their final regular season game against New Bedford, 55-29, last week, and qualified for the post-season MIAA playoffs with an 8-8 record.

Because the Taunton-based team has more upperclassmen, with naturally more speed and strength than the Viking girls are used to, Brogioli said the team will has been preparing by playing practice games against the freshman boy basketball players.

“We are going through a lot of drills to handle pressure,” Brogioli said. “One of our biggest weaknesses is on-court decision-making. … We have to be focused, and really play a complete game.”

One practice tactic is “swamping” the offensive by piling eight defenders onto the court, which Brogioli said really makes the girls think before they pass the ball.

“Our Achilles heel is unforced turnovers,” Brogioli said, referring to a bad pass by an offensive player. “But we have been doing really well with that, and have had a lot of practice.”

Brogioli said that though the team needs to work together to win, he is counting specifically on a few key players for the upcoming match. Senior point guard Tieyanna Yancey, whom he calls “the best player all year,” has “a lot of pressure on her.”

“She’s our best ball handler, our best scorer – but she’s up to the challenge, so we rely on her heavily” Brogioli said.

The team rallies behind another senior, Brianna Tavares, who is the “hustler, the emotional leader of the team.”

“She has been the best rebounder all season, and we need her in the big game to be consistent and knock down free throws,” Brogioli said.

As for the rest of the game, Brogioli said the team will rely on sophomore shooting guard Gabby LeFrancois, and junior defensive guard, Kali Fernandes.

The team faces off against Coyle-Cassidy March 2 at 6:30 p.m. at Coyle-Cassidy. Should the Vikings beat them, they will play against either Seekonk or Norwell.