The race for the top spot in the EPC boys’ basketball tournament might have been the tightest race the conference has ever seen coming into the week and Liberty was right in the thick of it following Monday’s 70-45 win over Dieruff.

The Hurricanes (18-4, 14-2) were tied with Allen (17-4, 13-2) for the top spot, as the Canaries had a game on Tuesday night against Bethlehem Catholic (12-9) in the regular season finale.

With the results of last night’s contest past Press deadlines, it’s not definitive on how the EPC seedings will round out, as an Allen victory would put them on equal footing in record wise in the conference and the division, and since both teams split their regular season encounters, the tiebreaker may come down to the District 11 power rating, which Allen appears to have a slight edge on.

Still, no matter what scenario plays out, head coach Chad Landis knows it’s about keeping perspective and competing for each game in the EPC tournament, as it’ll likely mirror what the Hurricanes and every postseason contender will see when districts rolls around.

“We will try and keep our kids focused on the ‘next game’ whatever that is,” said Landis. “There are so many good teams this year that it is going to be tough for everyone, especially our division. We have already all played each other twice and we will certainly run into each other again.”

Liberty has had an incredible run over the last seven weeks, winning 13 straight games and arguably playing the best basketball of anyone in the area.

Last week’s impressive slate impressive slate of knocking off Bethlehem Catholic, Easton and Freedom helped propel them to the position they’re in now and has made this regular season one of the most memorable in Landis’ coaching career.

“This has certainly been one of the most surprising of my career,” Landis said. “I knew this group would be competitive with all the good teams in the league, but I had no idea we would be able to put together this kind of run together. I actually didn’t think anyone would be able to make it through the division without losing a game or two, and that was correct.”

Liberty will open up the EPC tournament on Friday at home and they could find themselves with a familiar foe with Freedom in the mix to be one of their possible opponents.

The Patriots (15-7, 9-7) have been reeling to close out the season, losing three straight to Allen, Liberty and Easton on Monday.

Liberty got the best of them in last week’s 62-58 defeat and Monday’s 67-60 loss to the Rovers punctuated a three-game skid that head coach Joe Stellato did not want to see heading into the postseason, but still looked at with upside.

“I am disappointed in losing the last couple games, but I am excited in the way we played,” said Stellato. “We played very good teams and had our chances to win the games. This gives us confidence going into the playoffs.”

Depending on how results play out on Tuesday night with Bethlehem Catholic, Liberty and Freedom would likely play again in a second-seed versus seventh-seed matchup.

That is probably not what either coach wants to open up conference play, but Stellato knows it’s all part of the process.

“We have a few changes for postseason, but nothing crazy,” he said. “We had another great year, and we have put ourselves in position to make the playoffs and do some damage. All our goals are still in front of us, and we feel good about that.”

Becahi is also in the mix to qualify for the EPC tourney, as the Hawks were battling for the eighth seed heading into Tuesday night. A win would certainly clinch them a berth, while a loss would throw things into the tiebreaker scenario with the likes of Whitehall, Northampton and Pocono Mountain West.