HATFIELD — Evan Cortis exhaled frustration after a missed free throw late in the Gateway Regional boys basketball team’s 74-35 loss to Southwick on Thursday.
Gateway coach Kevin McVeigh told him, “Don’t look at the scoreboard. Every play get better.”
It’s been a mantra for the young Gators. Their roster features just two seniors, and sophomores compose a majority of their starting lineup. Thursday’s defeat in the opening game of the Falcons Holiday Classic at Smith Academy was Gateway’s 22nd straight loss.
“We’re young. We’re going to make mistakes,” McVeigh said. “We work hard.”
Southwick’s press threw the Gators (0-2) off from the beginning. The Rams (1-1) jumped out to a 22-6 lead after the first quarter and led 48-13 at halftime. Gateway hadn’t prepared much to face the press before the game.
“Early in the season you’ve got to pick and choose what your battle is,” McVeigh said. “In our league most teams don’t press. We’ve been working on stuff that’s going to help us for league.”
The Gators were without Cortis for most of the first half. He picked up his second foul with 5 minutes, 24 seconds left in the first quarter, sending him to the bench. Cortis played 1:54 of the second quarter before his third foul sent him to the bench for the remainder of the half.
“He’s an easy target at all times, especially for inexperienced guards,” McVeigh said. “He’s like their little blanket, when they get in trouble they can throw it to him.”
Gateway found its footing in the third quarter. The Gators outscored Southwick 8-6.
“We just wanted to forget about what we did in the first half, come out and continue to work,” McVeigh said. “We’re better than what we showed in the first two games, but it’s going to take us a little while.”
Cortis put a stamp on the fourth quarter. He scored eight of his team-high 12 points in the final frame, racking up six free throws by attacking the basket. Dylan Lafreniere added nine points.
“We’re going to be up an down every night, that’s life being young,” McVeigh said. “They’re mad that they got beat. In the past we’ve had teams like ‘oh well.’ It bothers them, which means hopefully it’s going to drive them to get better down the road.”
That opportunity starts at 5:30 p.m. Friday against Smith Vocational in the consolation game of the Falcons Holiday Classic. The Vikings fell 67-32 to Smith Academy in the other game Thursday.