Nansemond River’s boys basketball squad spent the weekend in eastern Pennsylvania facing elite high school programs ranging from Northern Virginia to Philadelphia to New Jersey. Along with excellent experience for when December rolls around, the Warriors came back from the Hoop Group Elite Team Camp with a 3-2 record and an invite secured to come back next summer.

On Thursday evening on the final night of the King’s Fork Summer Basketball League’s playoffs, local competition proved just as difficult as Hampton topped the Warriors for the second time during the league’s six-week season, this time in the tourney’s final four, with a 54-45 score.

In King’s Fork’s main gym at the same time, defending state champion Norcom ousted the host Bulldogs with a 58-47 result.

The Crabbers led Nansemond River nearly wire-to-wire. Scoring nearly each time down the court, Hampton ran out to an 8-4 lead. The Crabbers didn’t gain a double-digit margin until the last minute of the game but kept a two- or three-possession lead most of the way.

The Warriors, struggling to find easy buckets most of the way, stayed close with a combination of their defense and hustle.

Guard Dontrell Brite’s steals and fast breaks were one way NR found some points. Kendric Washington, usually a defensive specialist a season ago, worked hard on the offensive glass, at 6-foot-1, and scored eight points in the first half.

Hampton forced the Warriors to find tough ways to put the ball in the hoop as the Crabbers held two of NR’s usual top scorers, guard Shannon Evans and center John Joyce, to no points in the opening half. Hampton led 26-22 at the break and 32-24 six minutes into the second half.

Jay Melendez gave the Warriors a short-lived spark with a four-point play, with Melendez finishing a breakaway lay-up while being fouled hard, for what was a flagrant foul. Melendez made both free throws cutting the lead to 32-28.

Brite scored five straight points, first with a teardrop from a slashing drive into the middle of the paint, then with a three-pointer, bringing NR within 35-33 nearing seven minutes remaining.

Mainly through shutting down anything easy for NR’s offense, the Crabbers regained a comfortable lead with a 14-5 run.

Brite finished with 13 points. Melendez added 11 points.

The Warriors finished third out of 14 squads during the season portion of the league.