Two drastically different halves of basketball set up a showdown between Freedom and Bethlehem Catholic last week when the Hawks pulled out a 44-35 victory over the Patriots on Tuesday night at Becahi.

“We really wanted this win,” said Becahi senior Julia Zambo. “Everyone was saying they’re going to beat us, they’re ranked ahead of you, but we’re good at being the underdog, so we really wanted the win and I’m glad we pulled it out together.”

The first half was all Freedom who led by eight points at the end of the first quarter and five points at the end of the second.

“I think the first half we were playing a little lazier defense, and we were getting beat on cuts and screens, and I think our team defense in the third quarter threw them off and that helped push our offense forward,” Zambo said.

It was that third quarter that changed everything when the Hawks went on a 13-0 run with points from Zambo and freshman Kourtney Wilson.

“When we came out of halftime, we made less mistakes,” said Wilson. “We weren’t playing our game. We were playing with the opponent instead of making the right decisions for ourselves.”

That included slowing things down and moving the basketball. The Hawks also used their depth to their advantage.

“In the fourth quarter, whoever has the most energy, if you’re not conditioned you’re going to slow down in the fourth quarter. That’s one thing we focus on,” Wilson said.