Nansemond River High School’s boys’ basketball team lost to Churchland High School in the Bruin Holiday Classic on Saturday.

The Warriors played the Churchland High School Truckers in the last game of the tournament, ending the night with a 78-69 loss.

Things had looked good for NRHS early in the game. After one quarter of play, the two teams were tied at 16. It was the second time this season the Warriors had not been down after the first quarter.

By halftime, however, the Truckers had pulled ahead by four.

The third quarter proved to be the dagger for the Warriors, as they were outscored 21-7. In the fourth, the Warriors were able to outscore the Truckers but couldn’t break out of the hole dug in the third quarter.

Churchland possessed enough quickness as a team to give Nansemond River trouble throughout the game.

“The things we didn’t do well throughout the game we started to in that fourth quarter,” Warriors coach Ed Young said. “We put up a good comeback effort. There just wasn’t enough time.”

Josh Hale led the way for the Warriors with 18 points. Gerard Stringer added 10 points and seven rebounds.

The Warriors will play host to Lakeland Wednesday in each team’s final game before holiday break. Both teams have been looking for wins this season, and the game could provide some intense basketball.

“It’s a rivalry,” Young said. “Throw the records out the window, and two teams are competing for bragging rights. We have to make sure we make our share of shots and not turn the ball over if we want give ourselves a chance to win.”

The game is set for 7 p.m.