Saints
| 02/14/25 vs Catholic | 44 |
| 02/13/25 vs Peninsula Catholic | 55 |
| 02/12/25 vs Steward | 45 |
| 02/07/25 @ First Colonial | 89 |
| 02/06/25 vs Hampton Roads Academy | 59 |
| + 16 more games |
Nansemond-Suffolk Academy hasn't had much luck against Steward recently, but that could start to change on Tuesday. The Nansemond-Suffolk Academy Saints will venture away from home to challenge the Steward Spartans at 6:00 p.m. Nansemond-Suffolk Academy is strutting in with some offensive muscle as they've averaged 65.7 points per game this season.
Nansemond-Suffolk Academy is headed into Tuesday's matchup looking for a big change in momentum after dropping their third straight game on Friday. They were outmatched by Catholic and fell 88-44. While losing is never fun, the Saints can't take it too hard given the team's big disadvantage in MaxPreps' Virginia basketball rankings (they are ranked 188th, while the Crusaders are ranked 24th).
Despite the defeat, Nansemond-Suffolk Academy saw an underclassman step up: sophomore Noah Cannon posted 16 points. Michael Watson also deserves some recognition as he posted his first block of the season.
Meanwhile, Steward suffered their closest loss since December 27, 2023 on Saturday. They fell just short of Cape Henry Collegiate by a score of 59-57. That makes it the first time this season the Spartans have let down their home crowd.
Nansemond-Suffolk Academy will need to focus on slowing down Xavier Nelson, one of several Steward players who made an impact when they last played. He went 6-for-12 en route to 18 points and seven boards. What's more, Nelson also posted two blocks, the most he's had since back in January of 2024. Another player making a difference was Donovan Richardson, who had 20 points.
Steward suffered their first home defeat, dropping their record down to 19-7. As for Nansemond-Suffolk Academy, their loss dropped their record down to 11-10.
Tuesday's contest will pit two of the most dominant guards against one another: Madden Gilliatt and Nelson. Gilliatt has been dynamite this season: he has averaged 20.2 points, 1.6 blocks, and 2.2 steals on 51.4% shooting. For his part, Nelson has averaged 16.3 points and 11.1 rebounds on 55.6% shooting.
Nansemond-Suffolk Academy ended up a good deal behind Steward in their previous matchup on Wednesday, losing 61-45. A big factor in that loss was the dominant performance of Nelson, who dropped a double-double with 23 points and 17 boards. Now that Nansemond-Suffolk Academy knows the damage he can cause, will they be able to stop him this time? There's only one way to find out.
