The Nansemond-Suffolk Academy boys’ basketball team could not maintain its momentum from last week on Tuesday.

After putting up conference wins on Feb. 2 and 4, the Saints traveled to face Norfolk Academy on Tuesday and lost 54-28.

“That’s probably one of the worst games we’ve played this year,” NSA coach Lamont Strothers said.

The Saints piled up turnovers, their shots were not falling and they were getting out-hustled.

“It was just one of those games,” Strothers said. “I didn’t even talk a lot after the game.”

The Bulldogs started out with the lead and kept it for the duration of the contest.

Nansemond-Suffolk came into the game with a plan to defend Norfolk Academy sophomore David McCormack, a 6-foot-9-inch, 290-pound center who has already received offers from North Carolina State University, Old Dominion University, Virginia Tech and Pennsylvania State University.

However, this strategy of standing their ground against McCormack did not prove effective. McCormack ended up leading all scorers with 16 points.

Junior guard Tavon Askew was the only NSA scorer to reach double figures, finishing with 11 points.

In contrast to Tuesday, “last week, we kind of put some things together, and we looked pretty good,” Strothers said.

On Thursday, the Saints hosted Norfolk Christian School and won 43-36. Nansemond-Suffolk held an 8-7 lead after the first quarter but managed only five points in the second to fall behind 17-13 at halftime. Recovering in the third quarter, the Saints held a 26-23 lead going into the fourth and then expanded the lead further.

NSA freshman guard/forward Matthew Patterson led his team with 11 points, while sophomore point guard Erek Smith added nine and Askew and senior guard Logan Lokie had seven apiece.

Two days prior, Nansemond-Suffolk topped visiting Peninsula Catholic High School 67-64. It was a strong turnaround after the Saints had lost to the Knights 64-47 on the road on Dec. 3.

Nansemond-Suffolk held a six-point lead after the first quarter on Feb. 2, grew it to an 11-point lead by halftime and a 12-point lead by the end of the third. However, Peninsula Catholic poured in 30 points in the fourth quarter to make the game close.

The Knights were fueled principally by junior forward Lamar Claiborne, who finished the night with a game-high 31 points, and senior guard Mike Harris, who had 22.

The Saints had three scorers in double figures, as Lokie registered 18 points, senior forward Hunter Brinkley had 15 and Patterson recorded 14.

Referring to the Feb. 2 and 4 games, Strothers said, “We played well. Those two games were probably our more efficient games.”

Nansemond-Suffolk (8-10) visits Cape Henry Collegiate School on Thursday.