A Nansemond-Suffolk Academy boys’ basketball team looking to build on last year’s improvement rebounded from its 44-32 season-opening loss on Tuesday to host Tidewater Academy with a 60-39 rout of visiting Peninsula Catholic High School on Thursday.

“We’re playing really, really hard, and so the effort and energy has been great,” said new NSA coach Chris Prince. “We’re still not shooting the ball as well as we can.”

The Saints, who went 7-14 last season after a one-win 2012-13 season, feature several veterans this season, but are still dealing with significant changes.

They press on without graduates like John Mobley, John Hogan, Zach Leitner, Steven Minter, Matt Newhall and Thomas King. Standout guard Morgan Wentz, now a junior, transferred to Norfolk Academy.

NSA also has a new head coach in Prince, who takes over the role after serving as an assistant coach for the team last year.

Prince played basketball for the Saints when he was in high school. He has served as head coach once before for the boys’ team at Suffolk Christian Academy, then known as First Baptist Christian School.

His assistant coach at NSA is Dick Esleeck, though Prince described him as more like a co-head coach.

While the Saints have struggled shooting the ball, evidenced particularly on Tuesday, their defense was especially strong on Thursday against the Knights.

“We held them to 15 points after three quarters,” Prince said.

He noted NSA did not play quite as well in the final period, when Peninsula Catholic scored 24 points, but it was still a comfortable win.

“All in all, a great game, and we were able to get all of our guys in the game,” he said.

Saints senior C.J. Patterson led all scorers with 23 points and added 10 rebounds and five assists.

“He’s our most versatile player, and he’s going to be somebody that we depend on and run our offense through,” Prince said. “He’s playing the power forward spot, but he’s versatile enough to handle the ball some. He can shoot from the perimeter.”

The coach said junior Logan Lokie has improved significantly since last season and is a good defender who has worked hard on his jump shot. He was one of the first players off the bench last year and is a starter this year. He contributed 13 points on Thursday.

“Drew Corrigan, our point guard, is our ball handler, kind of our quarterback,” Prince said, adding he will be looking for the senior to score more this year.

Senior Keith Cooper, a star golfer for Nansemond-Suffolk, lends his talents and 6-foot-6-inch height to the basketball team this year. He had seven points on Thursday.

“We’re pretty thin in post depth,” Prince said. “We’ve got him and C.J. and two guys that come off the bench,” referring to junior David Richter and senior Alberto Smith.

Junior Hunter Brinkley, who is starting at small forward, and junior shooting guard Matt Shiembob are effective three-point shooters, and Prince hopes to see them develop defensively.

Prince also highlighted freshman Erek Smith, who he said is “going to be a good point guard for the future.”

The Saints will face some elite competition this season, particularly in their own conference. Regardless, Prince is hopeful his team will reach double-digits in overall wins.

Nansemond-Suffolk (1-1, 0-0) hosts Hampton Roads Academy on Tuesday.