Norristown boys basketball overcomes strong start from Pope John Paul II in PAC crossover

UPPER PROVIDENCE >> Don’t look now, but Norristown is playing with hot hands.

Entering the week on a three-game win streak — the past two against division foes — the Eagles have been firing on all cylinders.

And on Tuesday, they fired off a highlight reel after overcoming a hot start from Pope John Paul II, outlasting the Golden Panthers 62-46 on the road.

“We didn’t know what they were in, so we just got off to a bad start,” Norristown forward Jonathan Brooks said.

Q4, 7:28 — Myon Kirlew makes this layup somehow to put Norristown up 45-24.

Eagles made some crazy adjustments to take over this game. pic.twitter.com/mpsI2gLTmE

— Evan Wheaton (@EvanWheaton) January 11, 2023

The Golden Panthers (6-5, 3-1) led by eight at different points throughout the first half, relying on solid outside shooting from Chase Mondillo (nine points) and Dom DeMito (10 points).

After tightening up on the perimeter and forcing more on the inside, the Eagles (7-7, 3-1) steadily rose to the surface and got their heads above water permanently on a buzzer-beater corner three from Miles Daniels (five points) to enter halftime with a 23-21 lead.

“I thought we got a little bit lucky in the first quarter with (Norristown) not force-feeding it inside,” Pope John Paul II coach Brendan Stanton said. “Once they sort of made that adjustment, that wasn’t so much they got the ball inside to score, but they got the ball inside whether they scored or missed, they were in great offensive rebounding position.

“We knew coming in that was going to be a tough matchup for us.”

While the Eagles soared on the offensive end, their defense was near-shutout in the third quarter. Norristown outscored the Golden Panthers 20-2 in the frame as junior guard Myon Kirlew heated up with 10 of his 14 points. Brooks scored 12 points and Roddy Gaymon added 10.

Kirlew is the lone returner with impactful minutes on a young Eagles squad that’s fresh off a PIAA Class 6A second-round appearance and district championship berth.

But others have stepped up as well while the team forges a new identity. The group has wielded a strong backcourt with Jayden Byrd and Daniels, and a sizable frontcourt that’s been dominant on the offensive glass.

“The guys are finally starting to buy into what we’re teaching. It’s all coming together now,” said first-year Norristown coach Rick Bell, who previously coached at the University of Mary Washington in Virginia. “Our relationship is only a couple months, so everybody is getting to know each other, getting to know the coaching style and their tendencies.”

HALF — Norristown 23, Pope John Paul II 21

Miles Daniels hits a buzzer beater to retake the lead for Norristown.

This one’s a game, folks. pic.twitter.com/fkkmxkZY0P

— Evan Wheaton (@EvanWheaton) January 11, 2023

Pope John Paul II, last year’s District 1-4A runner-up and current No. 1 ranked 4A squad in District 1, has led with its outside shooting. DeMito, a 5-foot-11 point guard, is third in the Pioneer Athletic Conference in scoring at 16.3 ppg with 14 3-pointers on the season.

From the starters to its bench players, such as Denny Owens — who scored his first varsity points with 10 off the bench and a 3-pointer to beat the final buzzer — Pope John Paul II has relied on its strength at the perimeter.

Norristown allowed just two shots from deep in the second half after letting up five through the first 16 minutes of action.

“We’re a team that relies on 3-point shots and we made a lot of 3-pointers early in the game,” Stanton said.

Like Kirlew for Norristown, Trey Rogers is the lone returner for an equally young Golden Panthers squad that graduated a class of multi-year All-Frontier seniors, who won four division pennants, back-to-back district crowns and a PAC title.

And like the Eagles, Pope John Paul II has had young players step up. Both Norristown and the Golden Panthers are in favorable spots, sitting in second place in the PAC Liberty and Frontier divisions respectively.

The Eagles have made the PAC tournament in all but one season it’s competed in the conference and has two division titles. With so many new faces — from the coaching staff to the players — and a 1-6 start to the season, it might’ve looked like the Eagles wouldn’t leave their nest this winter.

“We needed this win,” Brooks said. “Everybody who says we’re gonna lose this year, we’re gonna show them what we can do.”

Norristown 62, Pope John Paul II 46