Nansemond-Suffolk Academy’s boys’ basketball team could not put together a complete game against host Peninsula Catholic on Thursday, falling 52-41 in a close game that was padded by free throws at the end.

The competitive game was a welcome change for the Saints after a 62-13 loss on Tuesday to Walsingham.

“We actually cut it to two in the fourth, and then they started holding the ball a little bit,” NSA coach Randolph Davis said. “Time was getting short, so we had to foul. They made 6-of-6 from the free throw line, and probably all of those were in the last minute and half.”

This capped off an astounding performance on the night from the free throw line for Peninsula Catholic. The team shot 100 percent for the game, 17-of-17.

The Saints still had their familiar problems on the offensive end, and they shot 57 percent from the line, going 8-of-14. On the other end of the court, however, they were exceptional.

“We played really good defense,” Davis said. “They had a kid that had 28 (points) against us last time.”

Thanks to strong defense from junior guard Jackson DeMello, freshman guard/forward Logan Lokie and sophomore guard Punit Barot, Peninsula Catholic’s Matt Warren was held to 13 this time.

“Most of those were from the free throw line,” Davis said. “He only made two baskets the whole game.”

The Saints led early in the game, taking a 15-13 lead into the second period, but they trailed by halftime, 29-26. Peninsula Catholic was able to push the lead out a bit in the third period, making it 39-33 at the beginning of the fourth.

Freshman Morgan Wentz continued to show why NSA has reason to think the future is bright, leading his team with 12 points. Junior forward John Hogan had 10 points.

“He ended up fouling out, but he played very well,” Davis said of Hogan.

“We did a lot of good things,” he said. “Again, pretty much did everything right except score when we had easy buckets.”

NSA is now 1-19 overall and 0-3 within the Tidewater Conference of Independent Schools. The team will again hit the road for its next game against Bishop Sullivan on Tuesday.