For the Nansemond River Lady Warriors defense was offense in their 84-19 romp of Great Bridge on Tuesday night.

The Lady Warriors started the game in an extended 2-2-1 press that forced Great Bridge into 11 first-quarter turnovers. Great Bridge was tied 4-4 early in the first period which was the closest the Lady Wildcats would get all night. Following an Amanda Lewis field goal, the Lady Warriors went on a scoring spree that ran through the rest of the first quarter. NR’s suffocating press defense led to easy fast break points in route to a 22-4 first quarter lead.

Warrior head coach R. Calvin Mason said “I thought there were periods in the game where our defensive intensity was where it needed to be, but it was the first game of the season and we’re hoping to get better and improve.”

The second quarter was more of the same, but much of the scoring was done by Nansemond River’s bench. NR’s bench outscored Great Bridge 21-2 in the first half. Lakeland transfer Tiara Armstrong was a field goal away from a double-double and rebounded well as she finished with eight points and 10 rebounds, seven of them being offensive.

Mason noted his team’s lack of size may be a problem this season but this was not apparent on Tuesday night. The Lady Warriors outrebounded the Wildcats 43-17 and outscored the Wildcats in the paint 56-6.

“Because of our size we’ve been trying to emphasize boxing out,” Mason said. “I think we still need to work on it.”

DeShanna Honare` had a great all around game for the Lady Warriors finishing with 17 points of 6 of 13 shooting, seven rebounds, five of them offensive, and two steals.

“I played ok, it could’ve been better, I missed a few easy shots” Honare` said, “but we played hard and aggressive and I think we’ll look better towards the end of the season.”

Senior Andrea Jones wasn’t far behind Honare` finishing the game with 15 points on 8 of 15 shooting from the field and five steals.

“I was kind of quiet but, I did what I needed to do and made sure my team played aggressive,” Jones said. “We have to cut down on our turnovers and keep working hard.”

Although Honare` and Jones had superb games respectively, it was the Lady Warriors bench that showcased their talent on Tuesday. All players on the Lady Warriors team scored .

“I thought the bench came in and played with some intensity that we needed.” Coach Mason said after the game

The Lady Warriors will next be in action against Western Branch, regarded by many to be a top team in the Southeastern district, on Friday night at home.