Head Coach Jeff Caron knew a boys basketball matchup against rival New Bedford would be a challenge, but he wasn’t expecting the final score in the defeat: 86-37.

It was New Bedford’s game even early on, as the Whalers led by nearly ten points early into the first quarter. By the end of the quarter, the Whalers held a 21-12 lead over Dartmouth.

By halftime, the Whalers added an additional 31 points to the board while pinning Dartmouth defensively as the team was only able to add six, ending the half at 52-18. In the second half, the Indians were only able to put 19 more points on the board compared to the Whalers’ 34.

“We knew we would have our hands full tonight,” Caron said. “They’re a good team, well coached, so I’m not surprised they did what they did, but I was a little disappointed in how we reacted to it.”

Caron said the team knew going into the game facing the Whalers would be tough. The team’s play style includes plenty of pressure and tempo, and a knack for taking turnovers and turning them into successful plays. But the Indians fell into that trap, Caron explained, and weren’t able to shift the game their way.

Two areas Caron listed as priorities in improvement is following through and executing plays, along with ball control - both areas the Indians struggle with throughout the back-and-forth rivalry game.

“We’ve been playing [New Bedford] for years,” Caron said. “Some years it’s a better game than others, and obviously tonight it was a little bit of a disappointment for the fans but we’re hoping we can put on a better show next time around at our place.”

The loss brings Dartmouth’s record to 5-3 as an unusually young team is still trying to find its strengths. The Indians roster is dominated by sophomores. The starting lineup only includes four seniors - the rest are entirely sophomores.

“Only a couple people have any kind of significant varsity experience,” Caron said. “We’re still working our way through that.

With eight games under their belt, most teammates have already settled into their roles, but it’s a matter of getting each player better every day, Caron said.

That will especially come into play with the Indians’ first league matchup against Barnstable. Snowed out earlier in the month, a makeup date is set for January 18.