(ABC 6 News) – Just yesterday, Mabel-Canton Schools announced that one of their winter sports teams could be sitting out the season.

As of last week, five girls signed up to be on the Mabel-Canton High School 2023-2024 girls basketball squad. But that’s simply not enough to fill an entire roster. This led the school to cancel their season for the time being.

This is the first time since 1972 that Mabel-Canton won’t have a girls varsity basketball team.

Mabel-Canton Schools has around 275 students in total enrollment. The high school senior class has four girls. Only one, Katrina Whalen, planned to enlist on the team.

Former ABC 6 Prep of the Week, Kinley Soiney plays varsity volleyball for Mabel-Canton, she also planned to be on the basketball team.

Lonnie Morken, Mabel-Canton’s athletic director, called it all a “Yucky situation.”

“Of course, just low numbers in grades 8 through 12 for girls, and low participation numbers of those grades, also of low numbers and it just was a difficult decision that we had to make.”

But Morken told ABC 6 the school has not given up hope on this season and are looking out for more options. Mabel Canton girls still have a chance to play basketball this year.

“[We’re] exploring our options. And our goal is to try and get a basketball team varsity, uh, back here in Mabel as quickly as we can.”

ABC 6 did reach out to former head coach of the girls basketball team, Adam Wilder for comment on this story, however, he declined to comment.

Marken says that he is hopeful there will be another girls basketball season this year if they reach out to schools such as Spring Grove and Harmony Public Schools to put together a co-op team.