WINDHAM — As tough as it was to stop, start and wait through December and most of January for the Nashua South boys hoop team, Tuesday night’s season opener simply was unacceptable to coach Nate Mazerolle.

“(Covid, delays, shutdowns and opening night rust are) an easy excuse. There’s no excuse for a lack of effort,” South coach Mazerolle said after his crew absorbed a 65-36 pounding at the hands of 3-0 Windham High School.

“Obviously, they are very good. They have one of the best players in the state (senior guard Joey DaSilva), and he’s not the entire team. They have other kids who can shoot it. They execute, they do what they’re asked. They work their tails off. That’s a very good basketball team.

“And when you’re a very good basketball team, and you outwork your opponent the entire game, that’s going to end up a 30-point win for you.”

Thankfully, the coach believes the damage is certainly fixable for the youthful Panthers. In fact, step one might have been taken in the fourth quarter of the Jaguar blowout. By that time, the damage was certainly done as DaSilva (20 points) and Chris Billone (19) bombed away early and often, combining for 10 3-pointers in the win.

But Mazerolle saw a recent South trend extend from the practice floor into Game 1.

“That group, the ‘second group,’ has done a very nice job in the last two practices, and they deserved that (fourth-quarter playing time). They work hard. They may not be as talented as the first group, but at least they gave us the effort,” said Mazerolle. “Tyler Armeen, Mike Rutstein gave me everything. Daniel Miranda, Zac Castonguay and Cyris Roig were the guys who were really doing it out there.”

Senior Cody Rocheleau, who led South with 11 points, knows things have to get better, starting with the effort. Rocheleau’s first hoop of the year was a memorable one for sure.

“My first dunk in a high school game,” the 6-foot-3 leaper said of the rim-rocking two-hander to start the game.

Roig had five points, while Jeremiah Mitchell, Rhett Medling and the freshman Castonguay had four apiece.

“It’s pretty disappointing, we didn’t get the outcome we wanted, but we’ve only been together for about two weeks,” said Rocheleau. “We have a long way to go. I feel like down the road, once we start getting chemistry with a lot of new guys on the team, start playing together more often, getting a feel for each other’s game, I feel like we can have a decent season.

“The effort definitely wasn’t there. We started off extremely slow, and that didn’t help the case.”

South won’t get much time and now faces the rematch with Windham Friday night in the Panthers’ home opener.

“I certainly hope we’re not a finished product. It’s a matter of guys figuring out maybe we’re not as good as we think we are,” said Mazerolle. “We either sulk about it or like the last five guys on the floor, we play our tails off. I’ll take that anytime.”

Is South better than it showed in last night’s season bow? “I’ve been doing this a long time,” said Mazerolle. “I hope so.”