ERIE >> A new coach and practically a new roster can be challenging for any team, but Skyline boys basketball has enjoyed steady improvement as the season has gone on.

On Tuesday night at Erie, the host Tigers won with a 58-49 final, but throughout the second half, the Falcons did everything in their power ensure they would never be out of contention. Their tight defense just wore down a Tigers team that was shooting 3-pointers like money.

“Last year, we lost all of our seniors,” senior small forward Jamal Gilliam said. “This year, I know we have a lot of people stepping up. I know me, Johnny (McCray) and DJ (Swan) all came up from JV. We all try and work our hardest. Last year, we didn’t play that much. Now, I feel like it’s a big improvement. Even though we lost this one, it was a good, hard-fought battle — one of our best games that we played.”

Gilliam led the Falcons with 15 points as his teammates — the senior McCray and sophomore Thomas Martinez-Hernandez — each chipped in 10 more. Erie senior point guard Cal Gebhardt led the field with 18 points, followed by 11 and 10 from junior shooting guards Garrett Owen and Chris Smith, respectively. Smith made up for most of his points from the foul line down the stretch, each swish through the nylon another nail in the coffin.

Erie ended the night with eight 3-pointers, half of which came from Gebhardt’s fingertips. Both squads enjoyed strong ball movement and attacked the glass well.

“I think we saw our young guys handle pressure really well tonight against that press, so that’s something that’s big for us going forward this year and years forward,” Gebhardt said. “Their man defense was really proficient. They sped us up. They made us turn the ball over. Taking care of the ball is something we can work on, so I think it’s good for us.”

The Tigers jetted out to a strong start, leading by as much as 12 points (20-8) at the end of the first quarter, but the Falcons were always nipping at their heels. They closed the gap to nine by halftime (31-22), then slowly but surely forced their way back into the contest.

Skyline nearly closed the gap toward the end of the third, but they’d never get closer than three points. The Falcons dropped to 7-9 with the loss and will look to rebound at Gateway on Saturday. Erie, meanwhile, slipped above .500 at 8-7 and will host Legacy on Friday.

Gilliam thinks Tuesday’s performance is a step in the right direction.

“Of course, we let up a lot of threes, but towards the end, they started turning the ball over,” he said. “We started playing defense. We started hitting our shots finally, but at the end we just came up short. A lot of people have been doubting us. Our record is not that great, but it shows that we’re improving. I think we have a bright future ahead.”

In the earlier girls game, the Tigers flattened the Falcons with a 63-6 final, 21 points of which came from junior shooting guard Juliet Slater. The Tigers have had to wade through a tough schedule as a young team but have come out on top so far with an 8-6 record.

“I think it just shows how gritty we are,” Slater said. “We just keep going at them. We give so much effort that it keeps us contending with those top teams. Even if they’re really tall, we grind it out and get a bunch of rebounds. We’ve been struggling a little bit offensively, so (this game) is kind of good to work through that, get that going, and then also just test out all our defenses.”