Nansemond-Suffolk Academy boys’ basketball team visited Norfolk Christian and took a loss to the Tidewater Conference of Independent Schools opponent.

In the first meeting against Norfolk Christian back in November, the Saints defeated them by 30 points, but this time around it was different. Norfolk Christian grabbed a close 49-47 win over the Saints.

“Norfolk Christian is a tough place to play in,” Saints coach Lamont Strothers said. “It was a close game all the way.”

After two quarters of play, both teams were tied at 25. In the second half, the Saints went up as many as seven points before Norfolk Christian cut the lead and proceeded to take a lead of their own by five.

The Saints had the ball with about 40 seconds left in the fourth quarter. Strothers was encouraging his team to hold the ball for the last shot. Instead, NSA went a little too early and missed the shot Norfolk Christian rebounded the ball and scored on the following possession. With 3.1 seconds on the clock, NSA had a chance for a last-second shot but missed.

D.J. White had 14 points for the Saints. Resean Whited added 10 points, and Allen Strothers added eight. Strothers, the team’s leading scorer, played under the weather Thursday night. With the loss, NSA went 1-1 on the week and has a 6-10 overall record.

“Norfolk Christian played well. It was their night,” Strothers said. “We got the shot we wanted at the end, but it just didn’t go down.”

Next, the Saints will play Norfolk Academy at home at 7 p.m. Jan. 31.

NSA 47  Norfolk Christian 49

NSA- D. White 14pts, R.White 10pts, Strothers 8 pts, Pettaway 4 pts, Freeman 5 pts, Salmon 3 pts, Faulk 2 pts

NC- Lawton 17 pts, Dance 11 pts, Payton 9 pts, Phillips 6 pts, Hatcher 3 pts, Ennels 2 pts