All three Suffolk public schools get back into the intensity of the basketball season Friday night after taking a week off for the importance of exam period.

Most schools in the Southeastern District have only four regular season games remaining, so each win or loss will impact the seeding for the district tournament and therefore, the likelihood of teams reaching the Eastern Region Tournament.

With the pressure of coming down the stretch, Nansemond River is still taking their girls basketball game next Tuesday and turning it into an important charity event alongside a competitive athletic contest against one of the best girls teams in the district and region, Western Branch. The junior varsity game is set for 5:45 p.m. and the varsity game follows around 7:30 p.m.

The Lady Warriors will be holding “Play for the Cure” night with proceeds and donations from the game going to breast cancer research and education.

Nansemond River is inviting anyone who has breast cancer or is a survivor of breast cancer to be an honoree at the game. Anyone who would like to be included, or who’s looking to nominate someone, is asked to contact Janice Bibbo or Lady Warrior head coach R. Calvin Mason at 923-4101.

Three other Suffolk schools have held similar charity basketball games this season.

Last week, King’s Fork finished a week of fundraising projects at the school with its Friday’s night basketball game against Indian River. At halftime, along with a celebratory slam dunk contest and three-point shooting contest, it was announced KFHS raised more than $2,000 to fight breast cancer.

During pregame warm-ups, the Bulldogs, including 6-foot-8 Davante Gardner, 6-foot-7 Jay Copeland and soon-to-be Virginia Tech football player Dominique Patterson, were equipped with bright pink tee-shirts, headbands, wristbands and socks. Many of the students, parents and school faculty members in the stands got the message to wear pink as well.

Earlier this month, Nansemond-Suffolk’s girls basketball team had a “pink game” for their date with visiting Hampton Roads Academy. Part of the raised money from the evening went to breast cancer charities and part went to help a Hampton Roads coach whose daughter is fighting a brain tumor.

For a preseason benefit game, Lakeland hosted a tripleheader of girls games for “Lady Cavs Hoops for a Cure” night. Lakeland’s event included Old Dominion head women’s basketball coach Wendy Larry and fundraising raffles.