City of Basketball Love

Zak Wolf (@ZakWolf22)
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Norristown knew what needed to be done. 

They’d been in the same position multiple times this season. Failing to execute down the stretch led to five straight losses for the Eagles’ boys, but everything changed on Tuesday. Norristown stuck to its game plan after inconsistencies at the beginning of the year. 

Norristown used a huge fourth quarter, defeating rivals Methacton 51-43. Down by as many as eight in the second half, the Eagles locked in defensively, disrupting Methacton’s rhythm. In the fourth quarter, Norristown outscored Warriors 20-7 to come out with the victory.

“We needed that one really bad,” Norristown head coach Rick Bell said. “If our guys execute at both ends of the floor the way we teach, it'll be good for us. We talk about playing selfless basketball and playing for one another.”

Bell explained that when his team turns the ball over at a lower rate, like against Methacton they’ll be successful. Norristown (2-5, 1-1 PAC) kept turnovers in the single digits, a goal they set before the game. They also forced Methacton into mistakes; the Warriors had as many turnovers as points in the fourth quarter (7). This allowed Norristown to take control of the game. 

In previous games, turnovers have been an issue for the Eagles, costing them games. Three of their five losses against Penn Wood, Conestoga and Neshaminy came by a combined eight points. If certain bounces went Norristown’s way, the season may look different. 

“If you think about it, we were a rebound away, a turnover away, an execution offensively and defensively from winning those games, particularly rebounding,” Bell said. “I think that stems from guys not having varsity experience. I told everyone we’re going to have to grow up and hopefully we’re starting to turn that corner.” 

Last season, Norristown finished the regular season as the No. 12 seed in District 1 6A, making a run to the championship before falling to Lower Merion. A senior-heavy team led by D.J Johnson, John Dinolfi, Zaki Gomez and Righteous Mitchell left Norristown with lots of holes to fill. The only player with varsity experience on the current roster is junior Myon Kirlew. 

Not only did they have to replace an experienced senior class, but head coach Dana “Binky” Johnson decided to leave as well. 

Johnson left in September, leaving the Eagles scrambling to find someone for the job before Bell stepped up. A former assistant at Cabrini, Bell took the head coaching position at Kennett in the summer, but the Norristown job opened up. Living five minutes away made the decision easier for Bell. 

Taking over in late October, Bell didn’t spend much time with the team before the season started, admitting they’re still trying to “understand each other”. Figuring out what lineups and play styles work has been a learning process for him and his team. 

“It’s been interesting, especially getting used to the high school game coming out of the college ranks, it’s a little different.” Bell said. “We’re talking about inexperienced varsity players who never saw the floor. It’s growing pains, we’re doing it together, I told everyone we’re going to get through this. Just stay the course, trust what we’re doing and we’ll be fine.”

Bell’s coaching clicked on both ends of the floor in the second half against Methacton (5-2, 1-1 PAC). The Warriors are a team Norristown is familiar with, matching up a total of four times last season. Methacton got the better of Norristown two times in the regular season and in the PAC semifinals, but the Eagles got the last laugh winning the matchup in the District semifinal. Despite heavy roster turnover for both teams, it’s still a competitive rivalry.

Methacton runs a lot of motion on offense, setting screens to get guys open under the basket and good looks for three. Norristown knew coming in they were going to have to switch on screens and communicate well to keep Methacton out of the paint and prevent open shots from outside. 

“We just had to lock in,” senior Jayden Wise said. “At the end of the day, we need to play as a team instead of trying to do things solo.”

Wise came up big in the fourth quarter, scoring all six of his points down the stretch. The senior disrupted Methacton’s offense, stepping into passing lanes, creating breakaway opportunities for Norristown. 

Norristown kept Methacton’s shooters quiet throughout, holding them to just four threes all game. Alex Hermann came in as one of the leading scores in the PAC but only mustered 10, Cam Chilson also had 10. Matt Christian, typically a knockdown shooter, was 2-6 from three point range, finishing with six points.

Jonathan Brooks was a force down low for Norristown on offense, controlling the paint. Brooks spent last season on the junior varsity team, but the senior stepped up with a double-double of 15 points and 13 rebounds. 

“Our entire conversation was that it would be a JB night,” Bell said. “He should’ve gotten more touches tonight and there’s a couple of games coming up where it’ll be a JB basketball game if the guys are selfless and make sure he gets his touches.”

Bell challenged Brooks to assert himself and make sure his presence is felt in the paint. 

“He stepped up to the challenge.” Bell explained.

Going forward it’s about consistency for Norristown and following up their performance on Tuesday; they get Pottstown next on Thursday, before playing Executive Education Charter in the Bensalem holiday tournament. The Eagles have showed flashes of playing at their full potential, but they still need to do it for a full game. 

“It’ll be a different type of film session tomorrow, but hopefully they’ll understand that if you do what you’re told to do number one and execute the way we practice and the way we’ve been taught it works. If you’ve done everything we’ve asked you to do and it’s still not working then we go back to the drawing board, but we haven’t done that yet,” Bell said. 

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By Quarter
Norristown:  14  |   5   |  12  |  20  ||  51
Methacton:  12  |   8   |  16  |   7   ||  43

Scoring
Norristown: Brooks 15, Gaymon 9, Gordon 8, Kirlew 7, Wise 6, Byrd 6

Methacton: Chilson 10, Hermann 10, Lagan 7, Iamello 7, Christian 6, Daddazio 3