Slow starts have been a trend for Nansemond River’s girls basketball team this season.

Due to the lackadaisical starts, the Lady Warriors have been forced to play from behind, and any team that starts four underclassmen would struggle to win under those circumstances.

Friday night Nansemond River again found themselves trailing after the first quarter, but persistence would prevail and the Lady Warriors (4-7, 3-5) beat Great Bridge, 47-40.

After managing just one field goal in the first eight minutes, NR was behind 6-4 at the end of the quarter.

The second quarter would be much different as the Lady Warriors would use their full-court press defense as offense.

Forcing countless turnovers from the Lady Wildcats, NR led 19-6 with 2:00 to play in the quarter after a 15-0 run.

Denell Fox was the spark of the run for the Lady Warriors, scoring six of her 12 points in the second quarter, including taking steal for an easy layup to put her team up 17-6 with 2:21 to play.

Ashaunte Humphries followed with a steal of her own, then scoring and being fouled on the play though she would miss the free throw.

The Lady Warriors went into the locker room leading 21-10.

The third quarter would be more of the same for NR but, Great Bridge would fight back.

At the 3:45 point in the quarter the Lady Warriors had built their lead to 15, 29-14, after a Kiara Washington jump shot.

But a momentum swing would come at the end of the quarter, when Humphries would go down with a hand injury, on a play where a defender pulled her to the floor by her jersey, yet no foul was called.

After Humphries checked out of the game, the Lady Wildcats finished the quarter on a 7-0 run.

Humphries checked back in at the start of the last quarter, and went back to work, assisting Delisia Sharpe for a layup, making the score 36-25.

Two straight turnovers from the Lady Warriors led to two consecutive scores for Great Bridge and not even two minutes into the last quarter, NR’s lead was just six, 36-30.

The Lady Warriors kept their head though. A pair of free throws from Fox, followed by another Humphries steal and a Brianna McClain layup made the score 45-34 with 4:40 to play.

The Lady Warriors followed this with three straight turnovers, although Great Bridge capitalized only on one of them and with 2:00 to play, NR led 45-36.

Great Bridge made one final charge, with two more NR turnovers helping the Lady Wildcats get to within six, 46-40, with 0:22 left; but the Lady Warriors ran the clock out, sealing the win.