The Nansemond-Suffolk Academy boys’ basketball team gave itself a belated present for Christmas with an impressive performance on Friday in the Tidewater Academy Christmas Tournament in Wakefield.

The Saints set a new standard for themselves this season offensively on their way to a 68-54 victory over StoneBridge School.

“We were really pleased with our effort and our energy, and we actually shot the ball better than we had all year,” NSA coach Chris Prince said.

The Saints shot 50 percent from the field for the game.

“I knew we had it in us,” Prince said.

He said he always tells his players to not rely on the three-point shot, in part, because missing it usually leads to defensive rebounds for the opponent. But he praised his team for the smart way it went about its perimeter shooting on Friday.

“We were moving the ball around, getting some open shots, and the kids knocked them down tonight,” he said.

In the first half alone, Nansemond-Suffolk went 6-for-11 from behind the three-point line, and it went 9-for-16 for the game, equaling 56.3 percent shooting.

“We had four different kids make a three-point shot,” Prince said, noting junior Hunter Brinkley hit four, juniors Logan Lokie and Matthew Shiembob hit two apiece and senior Drew Corrigan hit one.

The Saints had nine players score on the night, and three of them reached double figures, led by Brinkley with 13, a total fueled largely by his 100-percent three-point shooting.

“He was the one that didn’t play (junior varsity) last year with a broken arm, but he’s a knockdown three-point shooter, and he’s been trying to build on other elements of his game,” Prince said, noting Brinkley is working to become a better defender and passer.

Lokie and senior CJ Patterson each scored 12 points, while Shiembob and senior Keith Cooper scored eight points apiece.

In contrast, StoneBridge relied heavily on a talented trio of players that provided 52 of the Cavaliers’ 54 points.

Two of the players, junior Shaun Faulk and sophomore Terrick Philpot, are veterans of the Suffolk basketball scene, having transferred to StoneBridge this year from King’s Fork High School.

Philpot led all scorers in the game with 22 points, and Faulk contributed 16.

Providing 14 more points for the Cavaliers was eighth-grader Caleb Dawkins, brother of Miami Heat shooting guard Andre Dawkins, who also played at Duke University.

While StoneBridge has talent, it lacks height, “so we knew coming in the game that we wanted to pound the ball inside,” Prince said.

Nansemond-Suffolk out-rebounded the Cavaliers 42-23. Cooper had eight boards, Patterson had six and Lokie had five.

The Saints were up more than 20 points going into the fourth quarter, when StoneBridge began to press them and successfully chipped away at the lead. But it was ultimately too late, and Prince was pleased with the composure his team showed in the face of the pressure.

Nansemond-Suffolk (3-4) took on host Tidewater Academy in the tournament championship on Saturday evening.

“We played them the first game of the year, and we know how good they are,” Prince said.

The Saints will be looking avenge their 44-32 season-opening road loss. The Warriors advanced to the tourney final after defeating Summit Christian Academy on Friday.