By the time Wednesday night comes, Freedom’s basketball team will be more than ready to play. The question is, will they be rusty?

The Patriots (15-8) came into the District 11 6A tournament as the second seed and had a first-round bye, but that bye has kept them out of an official game since losing to Central Catholic in the EPC quarterfinals back on February 10.

When the Pates take on Parkland at 6 p.m. Wednesday night in the semifinal round at Easton, it’ll be 20 days since they last played.

That’s something head coach Joe Stellato hopes won’t be an issue for his team just a win away from reaching Saturday’s district final.

“This has been a very long lay off and I hope we will not be rusty,” said Stellato. “We had two scrimmages and had [former Allen coach] Doug Snyder come in and run a practice.”

Getting their legs back aside, Freedom has the task of taking on a tough Parkland squad. The third-seeded Trojans handled Northampton 60-47 on Saturday night in the quarterfinals. League MVP Nick Coval scored 27 points in the win and will be a point of emphasis for Stellato and his team on Wednesday.

After not meeting in the regular season, Stellato is optimistic about this matchup.

“I feel we match up well with them,” he said. “We have Jalen Fletcher and Aaron Levy to slow down Coval. We will face guard him and double him off ball screens. You can slow him down, but you’re not going to stop him.”

Stellato stressed on the importance of running the floor and trying to have a lead late in the game, as the Trojans are one of the best free throw shooting teams in the area. Coval went 14-of 15 from the line in their win against Northampton, so keeping him off the stripe will be imperative.

Freedom senior Nick Ellis will also be in the hunt for making Wednesday memorable, as he needs 26 points to become the school’s all-time leading scorer. Ellis has 1,200 career points.

Fourth-seeded Liberty (15-9) play in Wednesday’s nightcap against top-seeded Emmaus (19-5). The Hurricanes are fresh off a 52-47 win over Allen over the weekend, their first district playoff win since 2016.

The trio of Dwayne Chess Jr. (17 points), Blake Hargrove (16 points) and Jake Pukszyn (11 points) led the way for Liberty.

Now they have to take on an Emmaus team that defeated them 60-39 in the EPC quarterfinals, but head coach Nigel Long expects a much better showing from his group this time around.

“A few weeks ago Emmaus really beat us up on the offensive glass (14 offensive rebounds) and really defended us well (forced 13 turnovers),” said Long. “We will have to produce better possessions offensively by limiting turnovers and hunting quality shots. Defensively, we must defend their transition offense and rebound the ball.”

Bethlehem Catholic (16-7) made the trek up to Martz Hall in Pottsville Tuesday night for their District 11 4A semifinal against top-seeded Blue Mountain.

The Golden Hawks knocked off Wilson 50-43 in their district opener last week, but now have the task of taking on Schuylkill League champ Blue Mountain in their neck of the woods.

Head coach Scott McClary understands the challenges that come with playing a team like Blue Mountain on the road.

“Blue Mountain is 21-3 this year, won their league championship and are the number one seed,” McClary said. “We are playing in their backyard, in a gym they play in two or three times a year. This is going to be a tremendous challenge for our team to handle. They have three very high level players and surround them with a couple of role players that embrace their role, making them an excellent team.”

The Eagles three losses this year have come against Governor Mifflin, Eastern Lebanon County and North Schuylkill, but Tuesday’s showdown, which is past Press deadlines, will be a true battle for the Hawks.

“The key for us will be guarding them and taking away their top three guys, making every look they get a difficult one,” said McClary. “They have some size as well, so we will have to win the game on the glass for sure. Offensively, they are a traditional man team, but it doesn’t mean they wont play some zone. We will need to get a couple of ball reversals before we attack. If we stay disciplined and play for each other on offense, we have a chance on that end.”