The Nansemond-Suffolk Academy boys’ basketball team season ended with a state opener loss to Hargrave Military Academy.

In their first season under Coach Chris Fuhrmann, the Saints finished the season with a 16-11 record. The Saints went on the road Tuesday night to take on Hargrave but fell 64-57.

NSA started off strong, holding a 26-22 lead at halftime. The Saints had a chance to push their lead to as much as 11 before Hargrave caught fire. A strong shooting performance by Hargrave in the fourth quarter pushed them toward a win.

“We were in good shape towards the end of the game, but we just couldn’t get over the hump,” Fuhrmann said. “They have a nice environment there, which Hargrave used to their advantage. We just couldn’t capitalize on the chances we had.”

Fuhrmann said there was an emotional locker room after the game. However, he was more than happy with the effort he got from his team. The Saints played under their third coach in three years, and Fuhrmann felt like the players bought into what he and his staff were trying to teach.

“I think we were able to lay a good foundation down for what we want to do in the future,” Fuhrmann said. “This has been one of the most talented groups I’ve had. These are high-character guys. I really appreciate how welcoming they were, because you never know. Once you’ve had a bunch of different coaches, you never know how things could go, but I appreciated them accepting me.”

Over the offseason, Fuhrmann hopes to go through an offseason workout program with the team. The past couple of years the Saints haven’t had a full offseason with one coach. But Fuhrmann is hoping to change that, as he can see the team being even better because of some stability in the offseason.

“Truthfully, this group never really had an offseason together,” he said. “We are going to work on skill development. We are going to try to hit a couple of team camps and lift together. As a staff, that is something we are looking forward to.”

NSA started off the season strong before hitting conference play and going through some injuries. With a strong core returning next season, the Saints should be even better and are hoping to have home court advantage in the state playoffs next season.