Freedom is looking to get back into the playoff hunt this season and they’ll need a scrappy approach to compete for one of the District 11 spots.

The Patriots are coming off an 8-14 campaign from a year ago and don’t bring much back in terms of size, but they do have plenty of quickness, which can make them tough to deal with on any given night.

“We are going to be very quick and we will pressure teams full court and look to run the floor offensively,” said head coach Joe Stellato. “We have a lot of seniors, but not a lot of varsity experience. We need guys to step up and play with confidence. If we do that, we should be in the mix.”

Back for the Pates this year include seniors Tyer DePaolis, 6-3 forward; Ulrich Famawa, 6-4 forward; Rontay Dunbar, 6-0 guard; Jack Gawlik, 6-4 forward; Jordan McTier, 6-4 forward; Reuben Soto, 6-0 guard; Isiah Cedano, 6-0 guard and Cameron Biery Sr. 5-11.

The junior core looks like Malik Harrington, 5-9 guard; Caleb Mims, 5-10 guard; Malek Mims, 5-10 guard; Taj Montgomery, 5-8 guard; Elijah Ruiz, 6-2 guard and Jalen Stewart, 6-3 forward. Sophomore AJ Fletcher, 5-9 guard will also be in the mix.

The Pates opened the season against Parkland on Dec. 7 at the Jeff Dailey Memorial Tournament at Notre Dame-Green Pond, and they knocked off the Trojans 61-55. The Pates used a big second quarter to pull ahead. Caleb Mims led the way with 25 points while Malek Mims chipped in with 19. Caleb Mims nailed six threes in the game, all coming in the first half.

The Pates fell in the title game to NDGP 74-67. Caleb Mims again led the way with 27 points while Isiah Cedano scored 11.

They’ll also host their own Christmas tournament featuring Liberty, Dallas (District II) and WT Woodson High School from Fairfax, Va.

Stellato figures Bethlehem Catholic and Easton will be the top teams to deal with in the division.