I n Mike Feaster’s mind, the South River High School girls basketball season begins now.

“After we started at 2-12,” said the first-year coach, “the team set a goal for the remainder of the year of winning at least eight games. That means we need to go 6-6 the rest of the way.”

Since Feaster’s admonition, the Rams have won two of five games, which brings the current record to 4-15 as of last weekend. The Rams dropped a 45-34 decision to Perth Amboy Tech on Monday, and visited Middlesex (8-9) yesterday .“ Because of the schedule we play in the [Greater Middlesex Conference] Blue Division,” says Feaster, “our record may not be indicative of how much progress we’ve made. What I see are players who continue to practice hard and are eager to learn the game, even if we lost.”

“The girls hate to lose, which is good,” he continues. “After some of the games in which we were defeated by a wide margin, we returned to practice with a desire to improve. As a coach, you have to love that.”

What Feaster also loves are contributions from a group of underclassmen who will become the foundation of a program that has dwelled in the Blue Division basement for years. The top scorer, Alyssa Barry (9.2 points per game.), is a freshman and one of the players the Rams will depend on in future seasons. A pair of seniors, Celinda Forero (6.5 ppg) and Nicole Wallace (6.0 ppg), are next in scoring, but the rest of the rotation is filled with a bounty of youth. That includes freshmen Emily Obergon (4.0 ppg), Allison Silva, and Alyssa Andrejic, sophomore Lubica Zifvski, and junior Tiffany Parker (3.8 ppg).

Other members of the roster include seniors Kim Guerreiro and Lakira Smith, junior Ieva Galavakatie, sophomore Carolina Juba and freshman Meghan Moore.

“Celinda is our best athlete,” says Feaster, “and helps out in all aspects of the game. As our point guard, she has a good handle on the offense and is a heads-up defender. Nikki is our top post player who averages seven rebounds a game, plus she’s a solid defender.”

Regarding the future, Feaster is optimistic that the playing time his underclassmen receive will yield dividends.

“We have eight getting significant varsity minutes,” he says. “I see a lot of positives moving forward. The girls have asked me what they can do during the offseason to improve. We are looking forward to finishing the season on a high note and keeping the momentum going.”

SRHS closes out the regular season with visits to J.F. Kennedy Memorial tomorrow and Roselle Park on Feb. 15. The Rams will host Keyport on Feb. 17, Piscataway Tech on Feb. 21, and end the season at Woodbridge Academy on Feb. 22.