This was a rough week for Freedom basketball. On Wednesday, the Patriots and Lady Patriots were at Watauga. The Lady Pats actually played well for most of the first half and led 34-33 with about five minutes left in the half. But then the Lady Pioneers went on a 15-0 run to close out the half and they cruised to an 83-63 win. Freedom got good balance in the game though and I wasn't too disappointed. The boys' game was a different matter. Freedom led early but Watauga really got after it and had leads of around 15 late in the game. Freedom managed to get within six at one point before falling 77-70. I have to say that the Pioneers really took it to the boys in this one and looked like the more athletic team all night. This was the first game all season that Freedom didn't get a dunk, while Watauga had five.
Friday wasn't a great night for the Lady Patriots either. They played well enough to have a tie at 20 going into the half, before losing 51-37. Freedom couldn't find an offensive solution after halftime and Alexander started getting back door cuts for layups and pulled away. So, things weren't looking too good for the week before the boys' game, but then Freedom put on a display of what they're capable of. The Patriots went out to a 24-4 lead after the first quarter and were never challenged. They played well in all aspects of the game, but especially defense. This was the right way to come back from a disappointing loss and, if Freedom can get this kind of effort going forward, they will hard to beat. The Cougars are not a bad team, but Freedom made them look bad and I was really happy with how they played.
Thursday night is the next test for the Patriots, as they travel to Hickory to take on the Red Tornadoes. This is a tough place to play, so Freedom needs to bring their "A game". This will be a boys' only game as the girls' game was played earlier in the season while Hickory was still playing football. After that Freedom will host Hibriten on Friday in a game that has big implications for the girls.
