It might be the week of Christmas, but Freedom head coach Joe Stellato sees it as a vital stretch on the calendar.

Freedom (4-2) is nearly a third of the way through their season, but will get a better picture of where they stand in the landscape of the conference following this week’s action.

The Pates take on Emmaus (6-1) and Allen (3-3) this week in a pair of contests that will answer some questions for Stellato and his group.

“This week is the biggest challenge so far this year,” he said. “Emmaus is playing great basketball and is at the top of the league. What I want to get out of this is to see where we stand. Are we also at the top of the league or are we just in the mix? These questions will be answered after this week.”

Freedom and Emmaus are two of four teams in the East Penn Conference that are undefeated in league play, along with Parkland and Pocono Mountain West.

Emmaus has six straight games since a season opening defeat to Methacton, while Freedom has won two straight since being downed by Spring Ford nearly two weeks.

Last Friday’s 64-54 victory over Nazareth was big for the Pates, as they got major performances from Krishna Mangroo (17 points), Jaden Tillett (15 points) and Nick Ellis (14 points, 14 rebounds).

“The game against Nazareth was a great with a lot of energy in the gym,” Stellato said. “It was a grind and was a good win. It was physical and emotional and those types of games are good for the future playoff games.”

Tuesday’s contest with Emmaus was past Press deadlines, but it should have resembled a playoff atmosphere with two front-runners squaring off.

How it ends will answer some key questions for the Pates as they head into the holiday break.