WILMINGTON — At this point in the season, Caesar Rodney High’s youth is quite apparent.

Coach Bill Victory hopes the lessons learned from the early season schedule will make the Riders’ girls team better later on.

The Riders outscored St. Elizabeth in the second half but were in too big of a hole and fell 53-38 in a nonconference basketball matchup Tuesday night. The Vikings used a 13-4 run in the second quarter to build their big lead.

Sophomore Zoe Scott and junior Alissa Haith led the Riders with 10 points apiece.

St. Elizabeth led by 20 points in the first half, but Caesar Rodney (2-2) eventually closed the gap to 10 and had three chances to make it a single-digit deficit in the fourth. The Vikings reestablished their lead by ending the game on an 8-2 run.

Caesar Rodney has just three seniors on its roster this year.

“Young kids are going to play young,” Victory said. “They’ll look great at one point and then it’s like who are they? Then something will happen and they’ll start playing. It’s part of the process that I think you’ll have to go through with a young team.

“You’ll get punched in the face a few times. But then they’ll respond and be where they’re supposed to be. By the end of the season, maybe we’ll grow up, but right now teams like St. E’s are ahead of us. I believe that somewhere down the road we’ll be better.”

CR’s attempt at a comeback started on a Haith layup at the beginning of the fourth. The Riders scored seven unanswered, capped off by a three from Haith.

St. Elizabeth (2-0) was paced by Alanna Speaks who had 21 points and 14 rebounds. Sarah Metz chipped in 13 points.

Caesar Rodney hasn’t defeated St. Elizabeth since 2011.

“One way or another this is going to make us better,” Victory said. “We came up here to hunt them but they hunted us. Once we started to hunt them, it changed. We started getting after them and started forcing them into turnovers and bad shots.”