Nansemond River High School and visiting Lakeland High School initiated the first conference showdown for Suffolk and the first cross-city showdown this season before a sold-out crowd on Friday.

Scoring was slow at first, but the baskets started to fall for both teams in the third quarter, and Nansemond River was able to build on an 11-point halftime lead to win 64-47.

The Warriors started the game down 4-0, and then went on a 15-2 run to end the first quarter.

Young said the second quarter “set Suffolk basketball back to the 1940s,” as neither team seemed to exhibit the energy to win. The Warriors narrowly won the quarter, 8-6.

By contrast, Young said, the “third quarter was a shooting display.” Lakeland, which had gone 5-for-18 in the first half, went 9-for-20 in the third period. Nansemond River kept up by going 8-for-16, with senior Devon Oakley scoring 12 of his career-high 30 points in the quarter.

“Good team win, hostile environment, kept our heads, except for one moment,” Oakley said.

The one moment came in the fourth quarter when Cavaliers sophomore Jaquan Yulee and Warriors senior Daniel Wallace exchanged words. Young said it was an encounter that bordered on being physical.

A bottle was thrown onto the court from the crowd around the same time, causing a delay in the game.

Though Young felt Wallace did not deserve to be dismissed, he said, “The referees, because of the volatility of the crowd, decided to eject both.”

Lakeland head coach Clint Wright said for his young team, “The atmosphere and intensity kind of had them a touch jittery.”

He said his team played well in spurts, but recognized more was required against a quality opponent like the Warriors.

“We will learn a lot from it, and most importantly we will build from that experience on last night,” Wright said on Saturday.

Nansemond River was successful in limiting Lakeland’s leading scorer, sophomore Deonta Knight, to four points and seven rebounds. Oakley guarded junior Kenya Latham and held him to two points.

For the Warriors, junior Scott Spencer contributed 13 points, eight boards, four steals and three blocks, while Wallace had 14 rebounds and four blocks.

On Tuesday, Nansemond River (5-0, 1-0) hosts Oscar Smith High School and Lakeland (2-3, 0-1) visits King’s Fork High School (4-1, 0-0).