In February, the girls basketball team was looking good, coming in third in their section after a tough game against Aliquippa, where the Bulldogs lost by a score of 40-33. Knowing that they were a hard team to beat, they still had high hopes for the playoffs. The team hoped to make it back to the Western Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic League (WPIAL) Championship like they had in years prior. However, an unfortunate loss led them to an early end to their playoff run.
As the No. 7 Freedom Bulldogs faced the No. 10 Clairton Bears, the heat was high. From the start of the game, the crowd knew it would be a nail-biter and that rang true. The Bulldogs led the first half with a score of 36-24, but that lead would not be enough as the game would end in a tie between the two teams, after a three-pointer from the Bears in the last few seconds of the game. Going into overtime missing a starting player due to her foul count, the team knew it would be a challenge.
“Going into overtime I felt a lot of nerves because I knew I was playing for my seniors at that point,” junior Olivia Henderson said. “I was trying to give my all for them, so I knew I couldn’t let my nerves get to me and I had to go out and play my game.”
Battling through the overtime, the Bulldogs never gave up. Unfortunately, the game did not end how they had hoped, with a score of 78-65, the Bulldogs fell to the Bears.
Though their season did not turn out the way they had hoped, the Bulldogs had much to be proud of, earning a playoff spot for another year.
“Even though we did not win, I am still proud of how hard we fought to get to where we were and all of the hard work that we put in, never giving up even when we lost to the bigger schools,” senior Shaye Bailey said. “So even though our season is over I couldn’t be more proud of all of us and how far we have come from the first game.”
Seniors are sad to leave their teammates and the underclassmen who are not ready to let them go so soon.
“Being my first full year of basketball, it was definitely the hardest to let go of,” senior Morgan Keller said. “The group of girls I got to play with this year made it 10 times more enjoyable and I am going to miss playing with them.”