Liberty’s girls’ basketball team was doing everything right.

The Hurricanes, coached by Andy Wescoe, had been preparing for the 2020-2021 season, even going above and beyond COVID guidelines by utilizing outdoor facilities, not indoor, for basketball workouts since summer. Strength and conditioning training began in September, and open gym started in November with players wearing masks.

“What we are able to do with our kids moving forward is to be determined,” said Wescoe.

The Hurricanes, along with the Freedom Patriots, are now in a holding pattern because the Bethlehem Area School District suspended its winter sports season through Jan. 11.

“I received a call from our athletic director (Fred Harris) the decision had been made to postpone things until January 11,” Wescoe said. “I wasn’t surprised at all given the environment we are in and COVID cases continuing to get worse. I’m OK with our superintendent’s decision, but I wish we could get uniformity across our league. I don’t think the planning and improvising week to week is something we should continue to do regarding a season.”

The East Penn Conference was doing everything right too.

Making COVID issues the priority in scheduling its fall sports season, the EPC was successful; fall sports were played from September through November. The EPC followed an identical scheduling procedure for its winter sports in that the 18-team conference would only play teams within its county during the regular season.

Liberty and Freedom would be able to count on three games each against each other, Bethlehem Catholic, Easton, Northampton, and Nazareth in the Northampton County Division between Dec. 15 and Feb. 9.

Subsequent to the EPC releasing its girls’ basketball schedule, Bethlehem Area School District moved to put practices and games on hold.

“In my personal opinion, with the likelihood of continued spread of the virus over the next few weeks or months, its impact on teams and schedules, and the strong possibility winter sports seasons are postponed, I think plans for a spring season is my preferred direction,” said Wescoe. “I believe it gives us a better chance of a more complete schedule, but like all of this, there’s no guarantee.”