The Toll Gate boys’ basketball team ended its last campaign playing some of its best basketball, and will return a majority of its starters as it looks to make a run at the state title.

The Titans went 8-8 in 2014-15, but were a major problem for Moses Brown in the Division III playoffs. Toll Gate took the 15-2 Quakers to overtime before ultimately falling by one point, 56-55, in the opening round.

Now, Toll Gate opens the year against Moses Brown today looking to get some revenge, and will try to convert some early momentum into another successful campaign. Big man Adam Brice won’t be back, but Toll Gate will roll out most of its key players from last season.

Seniors Austin Ouimette, Kyle McGuire (fresh off knee surgery), Joel Johnson and Austin Giard and junior Amari Maduro will all be back for the Titans to give Toll Gate head coach Tom Rayko plenty of options going forward.

“We’re gonna see a split junior- and senior-wise on the varsity roster,” Rayko said. “Lot of returners that are seniors this year that have played. Joel Johnson, Austin Giard [and] Austin Ouimette had a lot of varsity time so it’s great to see them return. They’re gonna help out tremendously with leadership. [McGuire] looks so much better this year.”

In terms of replacing Brice in the frontcourt, Rayko said the team was going to alter its game plan to make filling the void easier.

“We’re gonna change our style a little bit,” Rayko said. “I don’t necessarily have a person that plays the post like Adam. He was more of a true post player. Most players this year are a little more stretch-four, stretch-five guys where they can kind of play on the perimeter and in the post. Austin Ouimette and Adam Donnelly, who was not on the team last year, will both kind of fill that big man role.”

The Quakers are only the start of a tough opening stretch for the Titans. Toll Gate will then travel to Exeter-West Greenwich, which was 8-9 in Division II last season, before a D-III tilt at one of the top teams, Johnston. The Panthers fell in the D-III state title game to Pilgrim, 65-55, last season.

“Our two biggest focuses are obviously Tuesday against Moses Brown and Saturday versus Johnston,” Rayko said. “League games, that’s our biggest focus so we really want to make sure we’re playing in those games. The Exeter-West Greenwich game is a non-league game so we’re looking to get better in that game. But our focus is Tuesday and getting that first game under our belt, make sure we come out and play hard, play the style of basketball we want to play this year.”

The schedule lightens up a bit with a road contest at Paul Cuffee, 6-11 from last season, before a home contest against St. Patrick (1-16) on Dec. 22. The week after, the Titans will face a tall task as they face off against Division I East Providence (4-12) in a holiday tournament on Dec. 28.

A road contest against Davies (1-16) kicks off 2016 for the Titans before a brutal three-game gauntlet against all three D-III South rivals across six days. The Titans will host reigning D-III champ Pilgrim (12-4) before trekking to Chariho (8-8) and traveling back home for Warwick Vets (11-5).

After Vets, Toll Gate opens up a home-and-home with D-I West Warwick (1-15). The first end will be played at West Warwick on Jan. 18 before the Wizards go to Toll Gate on Jan. 27. In between those matchups, Toll Gate has another taxing three-game run. The Titans go up to Burrillville (11-6) on Jan. 20 before opening up a homestand against Scituate (14-3) and Masters (8-9). The second game against West Warwick will be their fourth of that week.

“I always like to play higher competition, especially with the state tournament around,” Rayko said of the three D-I contests on Toll Gate’s schedule this season. “If we happen to be in it, that’s a lot of teams you’re going to see. It helps me gauge the team, where they fit in throughout the state.”

Following games against Mount Saint Charles (8-9) and Ponaganset (2-15), the Titans close out the regular season with a three-game set against its D-III compatriots. Toll Gate heads to Pilgrim on Feb. 4, hosts the Chargers on Feb. 9 for senior night and then heads to Vets on Feb. 12 for the final contest before the postseason.

Toll Gate finished strong in 2014-15, and there is no reason to think that, with nearly the same core in tact, it can come on just as hot to begin the year.

“I felt that last year we still could have been at the top,” Rayko said. “We had a lot of injuries, sicknesses, things like that. So those are always variables that we need to have in our favor. So barring any of those, we’re pretty athletic, that’s really our biggest key. We’re gonna look to play an up-tempo style.”