HADLEY — Only taking into account what the scoreboard says at the end of the game, not much has gone right for the Hopkins Academy girls basketball team this season. And after the Golden Hawks’ 58-37 loss to Lenox on Monday night, their record now sits at 1-11.

But Hopkins coaches Amy Cyr and Meg Burrington – and anyone else paying attention to the Golden Hawks’ program – understand there’s plenty more to the story than wins and losses.

With a roster consisting of more eighth graders (six) than every other class combined, this season has been dedicated to building something that will last.

“It’s a new experience, but this team is so hard-working and open to learning and trying new things,” Cyr said. “We have six eighth graders, so it’s not always easy. But we see the end goal.”

The Golden Hawks earned their first win of the season Friday night against Athol, scoring the most points they had all season (40). And on Monday, they battled against an 11-1 Lenox team that stands at No. 1 in Division 5 in the MIAA’s most recent state power rankings.

When the two teams played earlier in the year, the Millionaires won 52-10. Hopkins has scored less than 10 points twice this season. But Friday and Monday were clear signs the Golden Hawks are – in some capacity – taking steps forward.

“First time around [against Lenox] we were down a player, but overall even more than that we’re getting stronger every day,” assistant coach Meg Burrington said. “They’re working hard in practice and applying it to the games. They’re getting the taste and the motivation to score now and they see how they can.”

Hopkins graduated four seniors from last year’s team, lost two players who transferred to different schools and another who chose to play a different sport. Its four leading scorers all belonged to that group, so a full reset certainly wasn’t a surprise to Cyr and Burrington.

What was is how patient and motivating the two seniors on this year’s squad have been throughout the growing pains. The easy thing to do when everything is going wrong is walk away; but Cassidy Fyden and Cassidi Mushenski instead bought in and are helping guide the way.

“They are staying positive during hard times,” Burrington said of the seniors. “They help bring us some stability on the floor.”

And during practice? Nothing but encouragement.

“There was a moment in practice recently where [eighth grader Olivia Earle] turned the ball over,” Cyr said. “And [Mushenski], one of our seniors, just looked at her and smiled at her. Just giving her a message that it’s OK. That makes a world of difference and these seniors know that.”

Fyden led the way with 12 points against Lenox, and eighth grader Anna Conklin added 10 points as two of nine Hopkins players to record a point on Monday. Four of the six middle schoolers converted field goals as well.

When the Millionaires switched to their full-court press after the first quarter, Hopkins struggled to take care of the ball. But the Golden Hawks were in the right spots, they just didn’t execute consistently enough. That’s what excites Burrington – knowing how much potential there is as this team grows together.

“We do have to break down fundamentals more often, but there’s so much room for growth and that’s the beauty of it,” Burrington said. “We’re seeing that growth every day.”

Hopkins finally got the hang of the press and broke it with ease in the fourth quarter. The Golden Hawks outscored Lenox 17-10 over the final eight minutes. If it weren’t for a 24-9 difference in favor of the Millionaires in the third quarter, Hopkins was right there with them.

“This was our best game as far as playing a tough opponent and applying what we’ve learned and practiced,” Cyr said.

Records don’t necessarily matter when it comes to making the state tournament if a team’s strength of schedule leans on the more difficult side. With Hopkins – a team that has the second-hardest schedule in Division 5 according to the MIAA website – having a difficult slate, it’s not out of the question for the Golden Hawks to find a spot in the big dance.

That, on top of the fact that Hopkins also played at the Mullins Center as part of the Pioneer Valley Tip-Off in December, would go a long way in terms of the experience gained for those coming back next year.

“We will do anything for our players,” Cyr said. “We’re trying to build a good experience for them. We started out the season at the Mullins Center. So, as many experiences we can give them during their high school careers, we will.”

Hopkins travels to Greenfield on Thursday for a 7 p.m. contest with the Green Wave.