It’s been a difficult start for the Newburgh Free Academy girls’ basketball team.

They’re long on youth and short on experience to start the 2022-23 season, and it showed in a 46-28 loss to the Beacon Bulldogs on December 19 at Newburgh Free Academy.

“There’s a lot of inexperience,” Newburgh coach Arturo Santana said. “I think, defensively, we didn’t play terribly. We had some lapses where we couldn’t stop some of their runs, but the inexperience hurts us. One good thing is that these girls never give up. They’re always hustling, and as a coach, that’s all you can really expect from players.”

The Bulldogs got the jump on the Goldbacks early, building a 13-3 lead after the first quarter of play, but despite their lack of offense, the Goldbacks kept the Bulldogs from getting too far ahead.

“They’re good,” Santana said of Beacon. “They’ve got a good coach and they’re an experienced team. Most of their girls are back from last year, so they’re going to get better and they’re going to be a really good team this year.”

Titi Burden did most of the damage for the Goldbacks, scoring 15 of the team’s 28 points. She scored eight of those points in the fourth quarter, all on free throws.

“She’s a ninth grader; remember that,” Santana said. “Last year, she was a great part of our team. This year, I expect a lot from her, and I might be a little too hard on her because she is only 14 years old, and the pressure of pretty much carrying the team offensively. I tell her to keep shooting. It’s going to fall and be patient with your teammates because they do try. They might not have the same skill, they try.”

Riley Landisi led the Bulldogs with a game-high 17 points, and Lila Burke added 10 points.

The Goldbacks took the court two days later in a 49-23 loss to the Valley Central Vikings. Bella Santana, coach Santana’s daughter, led the Vikings with 10 points. Burden scored a game-high 16 points.

“If you saw my team the first day you would be happy with the result,” Santana said. “But I want to win. I’ll take an ugly win over a beautiful loss, but I’m excited by the next 18 games and to see how we are at the end of the season.”