Freedom High School's girls basketball team could not have been more prepared for their game against Parkland last Friday night, but one three-point shot and an opportunity to stall by the Trojans

saw the Patriots fall short, 40-33.

"We really, really prepared for Parkland. We worked so hard on our 2-3 defense," said Freedom captain, Taylor Garza.

Although the Patriots led for most of the game, Sarah Stagaard's three pointer with two minutes left put the Trojans ahead, 34-32.

A turnover by Freedom left Parkland with nothing to do but keep possession, forcing the Patriots to foul, in this case, Stagaard, who hit both foul shots, widening the Trojans' lead by two more points. Parkland's Erin Bross subsequently hit two foul shots of her own as Patriot fans were all but silenced by the impending outcome.

In the end, the Patriots had been outscored by Parkland in the fourth quarter, 15-5, and Gia Erie had fouled out for Freedom with a little over three minutes left in the game.

Freedom forward, Hailey Silfies, said, "We knew we had a good player [Erika Schwoyer] coming off the bench [to replace Erie], so we would still have the intensity."

If anyone's intensity had picked up in the second half, it was Silfies, outrebounding the Trojans and scoring seven points, six of which came in the third quarter.

"I think I just knew if I picked up the intensity, we would get a better lead," she said.

Freedom guard, Giselle Sanchez, scored two points at the buzzer at the end of the first quarter, giving the Patriots a three-point lead. Erie scored at the end of the second quarter, and the Patriots led by two. By the end of the third quarter, Parkland had a string of turnovers, and Freedom had a 28-25 lead, widened once more after Silfies sunk one foul shot, and Jaiden Coyne sunk two to start the fourth.

Stagaard's three pointer with two minutes left in the game came shortly after a basket by Erin Bross.

"We knew Parkland [watched] us, and instead of the plays we usually run, we had another play," said Garza, still in disbelief. "We had this game."

One day later, Freedom defeated Wilson, 50-41. Silfies doubled her points from the night before, and Mackenzie Herman added 13 points for the Patriots.

Also last Friday, Bethlehem Catholic survived Nazareth, 56-52.