By Scott Huff
WEST NORRITON – The Khalif Wyatt Show didn’t begin until midway through the fourth period with Norristown clinging to a 51-49 lead over Souderton in a first round game of the Triangle Club Tournament.
Wyatt – who looked anything but the Division One recruit that he is – took over the game for the Eagles during ‘money’ time as Norristown (6-2) cashed in and earned a tournament title date with Germantown Academy with a 65-56 victory over the Indians (5-4).
GA (8-3) defeated Lower Merion (5-4) by a 74-71 score. The Norristown-GA game will follow the 6:30 p.m. contest between Souderton and Lower Merion.
“Wyatt is just a special basketball player,” said Souderton head coach Perry Engard. “And what makes him a great player is that he makes all of the players around him better.
“He never seems to force anything on the court,” added Engard. “He deserves all the attention that he gets.”
With the game in the balance, Wyatt dialed long distance and drained a three-pointer to give the Eagles a 54-49 lead with exactly five minutes left in the game.
Wyatt- who finished with a game-high 21 points – scored the final eight points for Norristown, and his flurry of points denied any thoughts of an Indian comeback.
Souderton had constructed a 28-22 first half lead. The Indians had a fine game turned in by both A.J. Picard and Jimmy Connolly. Picard finished with 14 points, while Connolly matched Wyatt with 21 markers.
“The first three minutes of the second half are always important,” said acting Norristown coach Julius Mack – who in charge of the Eagles while head coach Michael Evans is on a leave of absence. “We were a little lax in the first half, but we came out strong at the beginning of the second half.”
Norristown erased the six-point halftime deficit with a nine-point explosion and snatched a 31-28 lead. Senior James Ramsey – who scored 14 points – fueled the Eagle rally with seven of those critical points.
“We just weren’t playing Norristown basketball in the first half,” said Wyatt. “We wanted to come out strong at the beginning of the second half, and we did that.”
Souderton did recover – though – behind the scoring of Connolly. The Indians last lead was 40-38 with a minute and a half left in the third period.
“Souderton is always a quality team, and they always play hard,” said Mack. “And Picard and Connolly are fine players.”
“Jimmy had a tough task in front of him tonight,” said Engard. “We asked him to play Wyatt man-to-man, and that takes a lot out of you.”
“Connolly is the best defender I have played against all year,” said Wyatt. “He is athletic, not afraid, and accepts a challenge. He is a very good player.”
But when the game was on the line, Wyatt was the best player on the floor. And Norristown became the best team when it counted most.
“We wanted to get back to winning basketball games,” said Mack as the Eagles stopped a two-game losing streak with the victory. “And it was nice to play a game at home.”
Norristown is hoping for a repeat of the Khalif Wyatt Show again tomorrow against GA in the title game.
Tournament Notes – Norristown has won the last four Triangle Club Tournament championships. The Eagles won in 2007 over St. Pius X, in 2006 over Upper Merion, in 2005 over St. Pius X, and in 2004 over St. Pius X … The tournament began in 1974 and Norristown has won the title 18 times … Wyatt was voted the MVP of the tournament last year.
Souderton 12 16 14 14 - 56
Norristown 7 15 24 19 - 65
Souderton (56): Jimmy Connolly 6 7-8 21; A.J. Picard 7 0-0 14; Nate Lewis 4 3-7 11; Anthony Moe 2 0-4 4; Kyle Connolly 3 0-0 6. Totals 22 10-19 56.
3-point field goals – J Connolly (2).
Norristown (65): Wyatt 7 5-5 21; Ramsey 5 2-2 14; Christmas 3 1-2 8; Smith 3 2-3 8; Yates 3 0-0 6; Davis 2 0-0 4; Walker 1 0-0 2; Mayer 1 0-0 2. Totals 26 10-12 65.
3-point field goals: Wyatt (2), Ramsey (2), Christmas.
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