The Nansemond-Suffolk Academy girls’ basketball team was able to spread the playing time around its roster on Thursday as it opened its official conference schedule with a 60-25 win against visiting Hampton Roads Academy.

“I think this was the first game that we had all five starters in double figures,” NSA coach Kim Aston said. And at the same time, “it’s a nice night when all of your kids can get playing time, and they were all able to.”

After about the first four minutes of play, Aston began making substitutions, and for much of the game, the Lady Saints featured lineups that included a few starters and some reserves.

Nansemond-Suffolk entered the game with some confidence that it had a significant advantage against the Lady Navigators, particularly after defeating them 65-18 at their place on Jan. 8.

But even with that confidence, “you still have to try to play the game the way it’s supposed to be played,” Aston said, like by trying to get the highest percentage shot you can as opposed to taking the first shot available.

The coach also said her team was endeavoring to work on a few things during the course of the game.

“We scored a lot of points in transition, which that’s a part of the game we’ve been trying to get better at,” she said. “So, I thought Harper (Birdsong) did a good job of advancing the ball up the floor by passing rather than dribbling.”

Lady Saints junior guards Lindsay Knierbein and Logan Harrell were the scorers of easy points from these passes.

Harrell had 10 points on the night, while Knierbein finished with 12 points and a team-high seven steals.

“Lindsay’s one of those players that’s kind of an unsung hero,” Aston said. “She’s not going to do anything that’s super-flashy that stands out, but she does all the little things that you need.”

The coach noted she filled a similar role for NSA’s girls’ volleyball team, which Knierbein helped go 26-9 in 2015.

“She wasn’t one of the top two stars on the team, but she was the one coming up with all the hustle plays,” Aston said.

Pointing out a strange thing about the 2015-16 Lady Saints basketball squad, Aston noted that with her starting lineup on the floor, every substitute player is a guard.

“We don’t have any depth in the post,” she said, which makes it difficult to sub in players without putting them out of position.

Typically, lineups on Thursday included at least one of Nansemond-Suffolk’s post players — junior forward Kelly Hogan and senior center Caroline Hogg.

Hogan concluded the game with 12 points, eight rebounds, two assists, two steals and two blocks, while Hogg registered 10 points, seven blocks, two rebounds, two assists and a steal.

After some exhortation from Aston to shoot the ball more, senior guard Harper Birdsong came back out, hit three three-pointers and ended up with a game-high 16 points, to go with seven assists, five rebounds, two steals and a block.

NSA (14-2, 1-0) visits Norfolk Collegiate School on Monday.