The Nansemond-Suffolk Academy girls’ basketball team was not able to produce the performance necessary to repeat as TCIS tournament champions on Monday.

The No. 2 Lady Saints fell to surging No. 5 Cape Henry Collegiate School 36-25 in the conference tourney title game at Hampton Roads Academy.

“They were just aggressive all night long, and we were just on our heels all game,” NSA coach Kim Aston said.

She said her team came out flat and was passive on offense.

“Nobody wanted to shoot the basketball,” Aston said.

Both teams were playing their third game in as many days after last week’s weather-induced delays led to a compressed schedule.

Nevertheless, Aston said fatigue was not a factor in her team’s loss because the Lady Dolphins’ starters had to play more during the tournament, having a tougher road to the final.

Cape Henry had to defeat host No. 4 Bishop Sullivan Catholic High School in Saturday’s quarterfinals, then it had to topple host No. 1 Norfolk Christian School in Sunday’s semifinals.

Aston suspected the big moment of the championship game had her players out of sorts. She said not only were they not running the designed offense, but some of them were out of position.

The Lady Dolphins led 15-14 at halftime and 25-18 at the end of the third quarter.

They took a 27-18 lead in the final period, but then Lady Saints senior guard Sarah Higinbotham showed some spirited defense, grabbing a steal and scoring.

NSA junior point guard Harper Birdsong added to that shortly thereafter with a diving layup, drawing a foul as she made it. But she missed the free throw to keep the score at 27-22 with 4:45 remaining.

Cape Henry used free throws to help pull away in the waning minutes.

Birdsong was the Lady Saints’ top scorer with only seven points, while four other players had four points apiece.

Nansemond-Suffolk junior center Caroline Hogg had 12 rebounds and three blocks, sophomore forward Kelly Hogan had 10 rebounds, sophomore guard Lindsay Knierbein had six boards and Higinbotham added five boards and two steals.

Hogg and Birdsong were named to the Tidewater Conference of Independent Schools all-tournament team.

As the Lady Saints prepare for the state tournament, Aston knows one thing she will be drilling her team on in light of Monday’s performance.

“We’ve just got to run the offense,” she said.

Nansemond-Suffolk (20-5) will host either Walsingham Academy or Eastern Mennonite School on Wednesday in the Virginia Independent Schools Athletic Association Division II state quarterfinals.