Nansemond River’s boys basketball team completed a Suffolk sweep and solidified its hold on first place in the Southeastern District with a 65-59 win over King’s Fork Thursday night in a packed gym at Nansemond River.

Guards Ashton Moore and Shannon Evans did most of the long-range shooting for the Warriors all night. Both hit three three-pointers and Moore scored right around his team-leading average with 22 points on the night.

Another Warrior though, connected for only one three-pointer but it came at a very opportune point.

After King’s Fork rallied back from a five-point deficit early in the fourth quarter to a 55-55 tie, each team traded empty possessions before NR wingman Jay Melendez hit a shot from deep on the right wing to give the Warriors a 58-55 edge with 3:03 to play.

The Bulldogs still had their chances down the stretch but the Warriors (14-1, 11-1) held the lead the rest of the way after Melendez’s big shot.

The visitors, looking to draw even atop the district, led most of the first three quarters.

The Bulldogs (12-4, 9-3) led 19-12 after the opening quarter even though they didn’t make a field goal for the first 5:20 of action.

What the Bulldogs did to make up for no field goals was get to the line. Reserve guard Rod Parrott entered the game a couple minutes in and went 5-for-5 at the line as part of the Bulldogs going 8-for-9 as a team in the early going.

When center Zach Johnson made a jumper in the paint it gave KF a 10-8 lead. Johnson scored the next two buckets and Fred Scott hit a corner three-pointer at the horn for the 19-12 KF advantage.

The Warriors scored the first seven points in the second period, and an Evans triple made it 19-19.

King’s Fork answered in a major way and threatened to turn the game into a rout. Parrott hit a long two-pointer followed by a three to give KF a 26-19 lead. Parrott drained another three for a 33-21 Bulldog lead with 1:53 left in the half.

King’s Fork held a 36-29 lead at halftime and a 40-33 margin shortly into the third period.

Moore hit a three-pointer to cut KF’s lead to 40-38, and Dontrell Brite finished a 3-on-2 fast break with a lay-up through traffic to put NR up 44-43 with 0:45 left in the period.

NR’s last three points of the quarter were from Evans making a free throw, then rebounding his miss on the second shot and scoring before the Bulldogs reacted. Evans scored seven points in the period.

NR held the Bulldogs to 2-for-17 shooting from the field in the third and took a 47-45 lead to the fourth.

An Evans three-pointer stretched the Warrior lead to 52-47. Parrott hit a three, but what proved to be the only KF three-pointer of the second half, to tie the game, 55-55.

After Melendez put the Warriors into the lead, Moore scored five of NR’s last seven points. He hit from beyond the top of the key for a 61-57 NR lead with 1:45 left and made two foul shots to stretch NR’s lead to six with 0:31 left.

Evans scored 16 points. Brite had 10 points and six assists. Michael Copeland had nine points and eight rebounds, with most of both coming in the second half. Melendez added six points.

Parrott led the Bulldogs with 18 points. Scott had 13 points and 14 rebounds. Johnson had 14 points and seven boards.

Both squads played district games Friday night. Nansemond River meets Woodbridge’s C.D. Hylton in the VirginiaPreps.com Classic at Green Run Saturday afternoon.