Against one of Hampton Roads’ top teams on Tuesday, The Nansemond-Suffolk Academy boys’ basketball team was barely able to hold back the pace through the first period.

Facing the visiting Mighty Oaks from Norfolk Collegiate School, the Saints ultimately bowed to the superior team, which took away a 67-35 victory.

Saints coach Chris Prince was pleased with his team’s effort, particularly in the first quarter, when it led at various points and saw success in some of its strategies.

“Our goal was to slow the ball down,” Prince said, later noting, “You just don’t want to fall victim to their pace.”

Nansemond-Suffolk employed a zone defense “hoping that they would have to take some longer range shots,” the coach said. “We were trying to clog the middle up to get some of their post players neutralized.”

The Saints trailed only 12-10 after the opening period, but they were down 33-17 at halftime.

“We knew they’d make a run at us in the second half, and we just wanted to let them know that they were in a ballgame,” Prince said.

The coach noted it is tough to sustain his team’s prescribed game plan for an entire game against a team like Norfolk Collegiate that can so quickly capitalize on its opponents’ mistakes.

“Sometimes you’ve just got to tip your cap to the better team and give it your best effort,” Prince said.

In games like this one, Prince said, “You find out which players have some toughness going against a quicker, more athletic defender, which player is going to give it their all no matter what the scoreboard says and not quit on you.”

Prince highlighted some Saints with noteworthy performances.

“I was happy with Drew Corrigan’s effort. He was our primary ball handler, and they picked him up full court,” Prince said, noting the task of moving the ball against this press is exhausting for the handler. “He did a nice job of taking his time and not turning the ball over.”

Senior “C.J. (Patterson), I thought, played well, too,” he said. “We need to get him the ball more.”

Patterson finished with a team-high 13 points, and Corrigan added seven.

The schedule remains difficult for Nansemond-Suffolk (5-9, 0-2) as it visits Bishop Sullivan Catholic High School this evening.