Norristown saw its season come to an end in Wednesday’s second round of the PIAA Class AAAA Tournament when the Eagles fell to Coatesville 58-52. To view photos of all the action, please click on the following link: http://photos.suburbanonesports.com/g/031313_norristown_vs_coatesville_dl
ROYERSFORD – Long after Wednesday night’s game had ended, Norristown coach Mike Evans emerged from his team’s locker room. The Eagles had just completed their final postgame meeting after the Eagles 58-52 season-ending loss to Coatesville in a PIAA Class AAAA second round game, and it was not easy for either the players or their head coach.
“They have been the best group I had,” Evans said. “The hardest part of this loss is not being able to see these guys tomorrow in practice.
“That was a great group of kids I had this year. They all liked each other, and they all came together for one common goal, and that was the key.”
What did Evans tell his players?
“It’s one of the hardest speeches you can get together,” the Eagles’ coach said. “They have nothing to be ashamed of. I told them to keep their heads up high.
“They did things people didn’t expect them to do.”
The Eagles closed out their season with a 24-5 record and sole possession of the SOL American Conference crown. They bounced back from an upset at the hands of Ridley to finish ninth in the district and earn a state berth.
So it was hardly a surprise to see them scratch and claw until the final whistle, battling their way back from a 52-39 deficit to make it a 52-49 game after Bernard Gordon buried a foul line jumper with 1:15 remaining in regulation.
“One thing I told them when we were down at the end was – just leave it on the floor, play to the horn because anything can happen, and they did that,” Evans said. “I think they did a good job playing to the end.”
Evans bids farewell to an outstanding senior class that included Bernard Gordon, Luke Kelley, Jahbri Hargrove, Jahad York, Josh Johnson, Marquis Bryant, Shai Cree Tempson and DaQuan Holcomb.
“It was probably the best senior class I had in 12 years,” Evans said.
Kelley led the Eagles with 15 points, two assists and three steals. Johnson finished with a double-double, scoring 10 points and pulling down 11 rebounds. He also had two blocked shots. Hargrove added nine points and five rebounds, and Bryant had eight points, six rebounds and seven blocked shots. Gordon chipped in with seven points.
The Eagles sprinted out of the gate to a 12-5 lead. Kelley put Norristown on the board with a drive, and the Eagles led 4-0 after Johnson – who delivered a block on the defensive end – connected on a shot.
A three-point play by Coatesville’s Roy Green made it a 4-3 game, but Johnson put an exclamation point on a Kelley steal with a dunk that ignited the Eagle faithful. A bucket by Gordon after Red Raider turnover put the Eagles on top 8-3, and they led 10-3 after Bryant scored on a baseline drive. Green broke the Eagles’ run with a bucket, but another Johnson dunk put the Eagles on top 12-5 midway through the opening quarter.
Things changed dramatically in the final minutes of the quarter as the Red Raiders closed out the frame with an 11-1 tear to go on top 16-13. Coatesville took a 26-24 lead into halftime.
The Red Raiders took a 41-36 lead into the final quarter, and the game began to slip away from the Eagles in the opening minutes of the final frame. Three straight baskets by Coatesville’s Jaquan Hollingshed, sandwiched around a Kelley foul shot gave the Red Raiders a 47-37 lead, a run that was capped by a monster dunk by Hollingshead on an alley-oop pass from teammate Howard Sellars.
The Eagles’ problems actually began earlier in the game when fouls took some of Norristown’s key players off the court, most notably the Eagles’ enforcer in the paint, Josh Johnson.
“With Josh off the floor, we’re a different team,” Evans said.
The absence of Johnson allowed Hollingshed to have his way in the paint. The 6-5 senior forward led the Raiders with 14 points, but it was his 13 rebounds and five blocked shots that loomed even larger.
“He played well,” Evans said. “With Josh out, he controlled the game.
Trailing by 13 midway through the fourth quarter, the Eagles had one last run in them. It began with a three-pointer by Hargrove, and after a Gordon steal, junior Curt Lever connected on a three-pointer to make it a 52-45 game.
Another Coatesville turnover set the stage for a Hargrove putback, and when Gordon buried a foul line jumper after the Red Raiders missed a dunk at the other end, it was a 52-49 game.
Hollingshead was fouled on a putback attempt and buried both foul shots to stretch the Raiders lead to five. The Eagles would get no closer the rest of the way, and a special season had ended.
“I just told them to keep their heads up,” Evans said. “It was a long season. We’re playing into March. A lot of teams aren’t doing what we’re doing now. It’s a testament to the group of kids I have and how they wanted to play. I’m proud of them.”
COATESVILLE (58) – Andre Boggs 2 2-3 6; Kevin Crutchfield 0 0-0 0; Emmett Hunt 5 2-2 13; Chris Jones 2 0-0 5; Joey Lewis 1 0-0 2; Darren Rubincam 0 0-0 0; Howard Sellars 6 5-7 17; Vinny Williams 0 0-0 0. TOTALS 22 11-14 58.
NORRISTOWN (52) – Marquis Bryant 3 2-2 8; Shai Cree Tempson 0 0-0 0; Bernard Gordon 3 0-0 7; Jahbri Hargrove 3 2-2 9; DaQuan Holcomb 0 0-0 0; Josh Johnson 5 0-0 10; Luke Kelley 5 4-6 15; Curt Lever 1 0-0 3. TOTALS 20 8-10 52.
Coatesville 16 10 15 17-58
Norristown 13 11 12 16-52
Three-point goals: C- Emmett Hunt, Chris Jones, Joey Lewis;N-Bernard Gordon, Jahbri Hargrove, Luke Kelley, Curt Lever.
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