KINGSTON — Like its North Kitsap rivals, the Kingston Buccaneers girls basketball team is not tall.

In fact, the tallest players are about 5-foot-5. This has forced the team to take on a different game strategy for the 2011-12 season.

This season, the team has become guard-oriented.

“We’re still playing up-tempo,” Coach Penny Gienger said. But, “I knew I needed to [make the change to guard-oriented], just because we’re pretty short.”

In the past, the team has mostly been point-oriented. Gienger said she is simply building the team based on its strengths.

Change or not, the Bucs came out to the court for their first game against Peninsula ready to play. The team defeated Peninsula 77-34 Tuesday in the non-league game. The Bucs play Port Angeles tonight at home. The game is scheduled for 7 p.m.

Five players from the 2010-11 varsity team returned this season. Three players from the junior varsity team moved up.

As the team prepares for its first league game, Gienger has one problem to overcome: having too many potential starting players. With a focus on the guard positions, Gienger said she can make substations without much worry.

“Seven of the players could be starters,” she said. “That’s going to be a challenge.”

Included in the roster are returners Amanda Carper, Maggie Snaza and Lindsey Wicklein. Carper had 20 points against Peninsula Tuesday. Snaza and Wicklein both left with 18.

“Those three are going to get us some points,” Gienger said.

Gienger would like to avoid a repeat of the 2010-11 postseason. A 42-40 loss to Olympic High School ended the team’s shot at State.

“We had a good season last year,” Gienger said. “We felt like that was a game we should have won.”