After three consecutive losses and a 1-3 start, the boys’ varsity basketball team is searching for answers.

Coach Corey Burton said the 63-18 loss to Holy Trinity on Dec. 1 was due to a disparity in experience and talent.

“Holy Trinity’s program is a well-oiled machine,” Burton said. “And no matter who they lose, they’re always going to come back with different kids who are going to do their job. Our team this year is very young and inexperienced, so they haven’t really seen anything like their type of physicality or speed.”

But Burton said Tuesday’s 50-27 loss to Satellite was different.

“We competed in the first half, but in the second half we came out flat,” Burton said. 

Junior Matthew Boucher fell when he came down from a rebound and tweaked his calf which Burton said was a handicap for the team during the Satellite game.

“It was a huge deal,” Burton said. “He’s an anchor for our team. After that it was up to the team’s execution and we just kind of gave up.”

Team Captain Garrett Martin, a junior, said performance was a large reason that game went poorly. 

“I think what went wrong was we just weren’t playing our game,” Martin said. “We were lazy with our passes and weren’t hitting any shots”

Martin said he has tried giving the team some pointers.

“I talked to the team about trying to focus on what we do in practice, translating it to the game, and just working harder in the game so that we see success,” Martin said.

Burton said that although the team watches a lot of film to point out flaws in its game, better practice is needed.

“I think we just need some adjustments,” Burton said. “Some of the guys who are playing shouldn’t be playing in the rotation, which isn’t going to be longterm. But, from a mentality standpoint, we compare ourselves too much to other teams and we need to fix our mindset.”

Burton remains hopeful going forward.

“We’ve only played [a few] games,” Burton said. “We are going to look completely different come January and February. There’s a lot of time to be had. So I’m not worried.”

He also called the two games great learning experiences for the team.

“We thought things were going to come easy, but they don’t at this level,” he said.

After losing 80-35 Thursday night, the team will take on Space Coast, who is hoping to avenge a 37-34 loss to the Wildcats in the season-opener. The game is scheduled to begin at 7 p.m. in the West Shore gym.

By Abegail Eason