There was good news, and there was bad news at the Yasso-Rothrock Christmas City Classic on Saturday at Memorial Gymnasium at Liberty High School.

For Liberty, it was good news as the Hurricanes handily defeated Allen 77-43, after earning an important 50-41 victory over Easton the night before.

It was also good news for Becahi, recovering from a too-close-for-comfort 46-43 victory over Allen last Thursday night to defeat Dieruff 63-42 on Saturday.

For Freedom, it was the opposite. A 47-44 victory over Dieruff last Thursday night could not provide enough momentum for their match-up against Allentown Central Catholic on Saturday. The Patriots lost to the Vikettes 40-29.

As of Press deadlines, Freedom’s record is 2-2 which includes a 50-43 victory over Quakertown and a 56-36 loss to Easton.

Among other things, Freedom coach Dean Reiman is looking for two things from his players, trust and their response to being tested.

“Obviously, we could play the way we did in the second quarter [against Easton]. We just weren’t very disciplined,” said Reiman.

The Patriots’ game against the Red Rovers was Freedom’s home opener. After trailing in the first quarter, the Patriots challenged the Red Rovers in the second, pulling to within three points twice.

“We spotted them a ten-point lead in the first quarter, but we applied a lot more pressure in the second, and that’s how we want to play,” Reiman said.

In the third quarter, Freedom’s Nia Mims hit two threes, but too many fouls made by the Patriots slowed down their momentum, and in the fourth quarter, Easton took over, scoring nine straight points.

“I think it was a product of the history of losing, and they’re thinking, here it comes,” said Reiman. “To be honest, we’re better than Easton. I believe that in my heart. But especially with younger players, they lose concentration. They’re not mentally tough. They need to trust the system.”

Reiman admittedly is not the type of coach who will pull out a lot of positives from losses.

“The gym was great, it was a good environment, but I want to see us respond better when we’re tested,” he said.