Owen J. Roberts rallies past Norristown

WEST NORRITON >> For three quarters Tuesday night, the Owen J. Roberts girls basketball team was baffled by Norristown’s defense and intensity.

OJR kept making adjustments to combat that intensity, however, and finally in the fourth quarter head coach Jeremy Mellon made the right one.

OJR got the ball inside,  made its free throws and by game’s end had what looked to be a comfortable 39-26 win.

But it was anything but.

The Eagles, strong for three quarters-plus, finally faltered down the stretch as the Wildcats did something they’ve struggled with all season long — they made their interior offense work, and they made free throws, shooting a combined 5-for-6 from the charity stripe.

“The girls came up big in the fourth quarter,” Mellon said. “I’m really happy with the way they reacted.

“We shot 16-for-35 from the foul line Saturday, and it cost us a game. Tonight we made our free fhrows.”

The Wildcats stumbled through three quarters. And while they held a lead entering the fourth, they were anything but secure.

But Mellon changed his offensive set in the fourth quarter, the Wildcats did what they needed to do, and the Eagles ran out of answers.

“We have a young team,” Mellon said, “We play four freshmen, and they’ve played very well for us all year.”

“Give them credit for that adjustment,” said Eagles head coach Rich Fisher. “We just didn’t react quickly enough, they got the ball inside, and it won them the game.”

Early on, the Wildcats held the lead, but it was never above five or six points, and with each Eagles run, the Wildcats’ hold on the game looked more and more tenuus.

But OJR pushed the ball inside at the outset of the final quarter, Olivia LeClare took advantage with six fourth-quarter points and Norristown had no response – at least not one that would make a difference.

The Wildcats took an 18-14 lead at halftime, mostly on the 3-point shooting of Maddi Koury, who made a pair, and Diana Rantz, who made one.

The Eagles were led at the half by five points from Beyonce Collins, who would finish with a team-high 12.

Owen J. Roberts 39, Norristown 26
Owen J. Roberts  8 10 4 17 – 39
Norristown  4 9 6 7 – 26
Owen J. Roberts: Olivia LeClare 4 2-5 10; Kylie Cahill 4 0-1 8; Camryn Glenn 0 0-0 0; Darby Stuart 2 0-0 4; Maddie Albaugh 2 0-0 5; Brooke Grennawaild 0 1-3 1; Diana Rantz 1 5-6 8; Maddi Koury 2 0-0 6; Hannah Clay 1 0-0 2; Emily Schall 0 0-0 0.  Totals 14 8-16 39.
Norristown: Beyonce Collins 4 3-6 12; Lauren Greene 1 0-0 2; Georgia Werkheiser 2 0-0 6; Tovyannah Wright 1 0-0 2; Brooke Heim 0 0-0 0; Emily Schools 1 0-0 2; Tamara Wright 0 0-0 0; Nahje McClure 0 0-0 0; Ashley Schools 0 0-0 0; Morgan Culreath 1 0-1 2.. Totals 10 3-7 26..
3-pointers: Koury 2; Rantz; Collins; Werkhiser 2.