City of Basketball Love

Josh Verlin (@jmverlin)
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It’s starting to feel like deja vu all over again for Methacton. The pieces are different, sure, as were outside expectations. But something special is brewing up in central Montgomery County.

Two years ago, the Warriors were the no-doubt District 1 6A favorites — even before they ripped off a 17-game winning streak that featured blowout win after blowout win, before they romped through the Pioneer Athletic Conference, before they stormed through the district tournament en route to the program’s first district title. 

This year’s group entered without the same fanfare: no Jeff Woodward (Colgate) in the middle, no Erik Timko (Jefferson) on the perimeter, no Jeff Derstine on the sidelines. Instead, second-year coach Pat Lockard had a group coming off an 11-7 season, some talent in the mix but without any of the expectations that the squad a couple years before built up before living up to just about all of it.

There were two holdovers from that 2020 squad, seniors Brett Byrne and Cole Hargrove. But behind them a group that wasn’t around for that deep run, that hadn’t experienced that level of success, which can be all-too-fleeting in public school programs, waves of talent coming and receding in a flash, other programs rushing in to fill the void. 

Instead, they’re playing almost as well as their predecessors. 

Methacton continued its unbeaten start to the 2021-22 season to a perfect 10-0 on Saturday afternoon, winning its third road game in as many days in impressive fashion, 69-44 over Pioneer Athletic Conference opponent Norristown. If a certain former football announcing legend were still around, he might call them Tough Actin’ Methacton.

The Warriors (10-0, 3-0 PAC) were nearly clinical in dismantling the Eagles (6-3, 0-1), shooting 29-of-44 (66%) from the floor. They were 17-of-23 in the second half alone, including 17-of-20 from inside the 3-point arc. It was a near-constant stream of ball and player movement, 18 assists a testament to that, bad shots countable on just a few fingers.

After winning the first quarter 18-14, Methacton expanded its advantage to 10 by halftime and 21 after three quarters, limiting any Norristown runs to a couple buckets at most. Once the Warriors got set up in their half-court offense they were nearly unstoppable, getting clean looks time and again.

Methacton’s only negative on the day were 17 turnovers, but the shots they were getting were of such high quality — and were falling so consistently — that the giveaways never really seemed to matter.

“I’d like to attribute it all to coaching, but no — I think that comes from shot selection,” second-year head coach Pat Lockard said. “We were getting a lot of stuff around the rim, so you’re going to shoot a high percentage when you do that. Especially the way Norristown gets out and guards, if we can get that first pick-and-roll, that first penetration, lanes will open up. The guys did a great job of attacking the openings that were there, not trying to force too much.”

It was the kind of game that played out exactly how Methacton was winning games two seasons back.

“It’s just the unselfish basketball, I think that’s something coaches harp on all the time,” Byrne said. “The second everyone buys into that, and everyone starts playing for each other rather than individually, I feel like that’s when we start beating teams by more than 10, 20 points.”

The Warriors’ two best players certainly did their part. 

Cole Hargrove (above) was a problem for Norristown at both ends of the floor.
(Photo: Josh Verlin/CoBL)

Byrne, a 6-foot-1 guard who started as a sophomore on the best team in Methacton history, put together a stellar all-around performance with 19 points, six rebounds, seven assists and a steal, shooting 8-of-11 from the floor (1-3 3PT, 2-2 FT). Hargrove, a 6-8 forward, was a two-way force with 12 points on 6-7 shooting, plus eight rebounds, four assists, three blocks and two steals, providing an excellent rim deterrent for a drive-happy Eagles squad. 

Joining those two in double figures was junior guard Cam Chilson, who was 7-of-8 from the floor (1-2 3PT, 3-3 FT) for 18 points, to go along with three steals, two rebounds, two assists and a block. 

The 6-0 guard showcased a flurry of finishing abilities, with a few smooth reverse layups joined by a floater. After coming up from the junior varsity squad last year, Chilson’s scoring abilities have been a welcome addition, with him and junior Matt Christian (6 points) trading off double-figure games to complement the known stars.

“The first couple games, I feel like they knew I was timid, but they just kept telling me to play my game,” Chilson said. “Once it gets later into the game, too, I just kind of go with the flow and whatever happens, happens. I don’t really think about what I’m going to do, it kind of just happens.”

Cam Chilson (above, right) scored 18 points against Norristown, missing just one of his eight shots. (Photo: Josh Verlin/CoBL)

“I think he’s doing amazing,” Byrne said. “He’s a smaller kid, too, and he gets in there and he’s a physical player now. That was something he had to get used to, to begin with — it’s a whole different pace from JV to varsity. He’s very efficient, he does his role perfectly, and when we need a bucket and me and Cole are being hounded, (he) and Matt Christian are great guys to go to.”

After beating Boyertown (51-44), Owen J. Roberts (64-33) and now Norristown on consecutive days, Methacton has a bit of a chance to rest. A Tuesday game against Spring-Ford was postponed due to COVID issues within the Rams’ program, meaning a Thursday trip to Phoenixville (3-3, 0-1) is next up on the schedule. 

There’s still a lot of work to be done for Methacton to get to the heights of its predecessor, half a regular season to go before the playoffs even arrive. But they’re one of just two remaining unbeaten teams in District 1 6A along with Cheltenham, and they’re up to the No. 2 slot in the PIAA District 1 6A rankings. 

Each additional win will draw a little bit more attention, raise the expectations a little bit more. They know enough to take it one game at a time.

“I know the talent isn’t the same as that [2019-20] team, so the ‘for sure’ factor of getting there isn’t the same in my eyes,” Byrne said. “But I feel like if we play together and do the little things we’ve all been doing, we definitely can get to where we were back then.”

By Quarter
Methacton:    18  |  15  |  20  |  17  ||  69
Norristown:    14  |   9   |   9   |  12  ||  44

Shooting
Methacton: 29-44 FG (4-12 3PT), 7-7 FT
Norristown: 16-59 FG (2-10 3PT), 10-14 FT

Scoring
Methacton: Brett Byrne 19, Cam Chilson 18, Cole Hargrove 12, Colin Meyer 6, Matt Christian 6, Matt Blakemore 2, Dan Brandi 2, Jason Lagana 2, Preston Hull 2

Norristown: DJ Johnson 12, Myon Kirlew 10, Rayshaun Stinson 7, Jaden Wise 4, John DiNolfi 4, Greg Mobley 2, Quentin Watson 2, Roddy Gaymon 2, Righteous Mitchell 1