A quick glance at the team records heading into Friday night’s EPC girls basketball contest between Liberty (5-5) and Easton (7-1) wouldn’t signal that the Hurricanes were poised to end a decade-long drought in the series dating back to 2015. However, the battled-tested Bethlehem rival under coach Jarrett Carnes was hopeful that a difficult non-conference schedule would be good preparation for battles against the league’s best. “I had a little more control over the schedule this year and I wanted to do some things where we’re playing the best of the best or at least close to that,” Carnes said.
“All those teams are some of the best teams in the state right now. We don’t want to go into a gym and run it up on someone. We want to be in those good battles and beat some good teams, so we can feel better about ourselves.
” It paid off in the first game of the new year as the Hurricanes rode a dominant second half to a 42-32 victory over the Red Rovers on Friday night at Liberty High School. The win snapped a 19-game losing streak in the rivalry and a nine-game losing streak since Carnes took over four years ago. “First off, hats off to Easton; they’ve got some great players, great coaches and a good program,” Carnes said.
“I let the girls know that this kind of stuff you have to take personal because every time we see them, they’ve been walking all over us. So, it’s great for the girls and a good confidence boost.” Despite Liberty senior Anijah Davis.
