Three years ago when coach John Kaercher and his staff took over the Freedom Area girls basketball team, they had 11 players in the program.

Nine of those players were underclassmen and playing both junior varsity and varsity games.

"It was a struggle," Kaercher said of the 2012-13 season. "We had nine girls who were playing two full games but that made our program stronger and it reflected this year."

That first season the Bulldogs went 11-11, but missed the WPIAL playoffs.

Last year the roster grew to 13 and the team finished 5-7 in Section 6-AA to qualify for the playoffs.

This year the roster expanded to 18 players and a playoff berth has already been clinched.

Through 20 games Freedom is 10-10 overall and 6-5 in Section 5-AA with one remaining section contest against South Side Beaver (4-15, 3-7) and a regular-season non-section finale against Quaker Valley on Friday.

Last season Freedom lost five of its last six regular-season games and needed help in the form of an Avonworth loss to Beaver Area to clinch a playoff spot.

"Last year we backed into the playoffs," Kaercher said. "It came down to the last game."

The Bulldogs were dispatched in the first round of the playoffs by Brentwood, 49-45.

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West Xtra: Freedom girls basketball program builds off past success