The Nansemond River High School girls’ basketball team gave back for the holidays by adopting a family in need.

The Lady Warriors adopt a family every year as an annual project. This year, the family they adopted included four children that coach R. Calvin Mason Sr. and the Lady Warriors provided gifts for.

The players and coach purchased clothes and shoes for each of the kids and also provided a Christmas tree. It would have been easier for the Lady Warriors just to send the gifts to the family, but they made it a point to deliver the gifts in person.

“It was important for us to do that,” the Lady Warriors’ Briana Autrey said of delivering the gifts to the family. “It showed the kids that we really cared about them.”

“The family we adopted this year was really in need,” Mason said. “Our girls did a good job getting out there and hustling and finding things for them. They worked hard to make sure some kids had a smile on their face for Christmas.”

It was important for the Lady Warriors to understand the importance of giving back. It gives the Lady Warriors a greater appreciation of what they have, they said.

“It just feels good to know that I could help another family,” the Lady Warriors’ Cassidy Simmons said. “It really just opened my eyes to see what I have compared to what other people have. It makes me not want to take anything for granted and be thankful for what I have.”

“It was great to see the kids’ faces just light up,” the Lady Warriors’ Nijah Shannon said. “It was a pretty important experience for me. It’s important to give back, no matter how big or little you are, rich or famous.”

Through eight games, the Warriors sit at 6-2, and spectators believe the Warriors can make a run at a championship this year. If all this comes to fruition for the Lady Warriors, they’d be OK with being known more for doing things for the community and being an impact on people’s lives than just being known as a good basketball team.

“Our main thing is to play basketball, but I want them to know how blessed and fortunate they are,” Mason said. “We genuinely care about how people are doing. If we do well on the court and do even better off of it, I would consider it a great season.”

The Lady Warriors are currently in South Carolina for a holiday tournament.