Spring-Ford boys basketball rolls past Norristown, keeps hold of first place in PAC Liberty

ROYERSFORD >> Sometimes wins just look different. And often, they’re measured as such.

The Spring-Ford boys basketball team was none too thrilled with itself against Owen J. Roberts last weekend, even if the Rams came out on the favorable end in overtime.

Tuesday’s marquee matchup against Norristown had a different feel after Spring-Ford came out on top, 69-50 at home, to keep hold of first place in the Pioneer Athletic Conference Liberty Division.

“I think we got better tonight. That’s something we haven’t done,” Spring-Ford coach Joe Dempsey said. “We’ve been winning games, but that’s something we haven’t done the last couple games, is get better. But I felt we got better tonight.”

Jacob Nguyen, a 6-foot-4 sophomore who has emerged as Spring-Ford’s go-to bucket at 14 points per game, buried 18 points to lead the Rams (15-1, 6-0). Spring-Ford also saw double figures from EJ Campbell (15 points) and Alex Lewis (13). Caleb Little added nine.

Q4, 6:47 — EJ Campbell up to 13 points for Spring-Ford. Rams lead 51-39 after this finish. pic.twitter.com/kWYV0qFRLt

— Evan Wheaton (@EvanWheaton) January 18, 2023

Once Nguyen scored the opening basket of the game, the Rams continued to floor the gas pedal down, hovering around a 10-point lead through most of the game. At halftime, it was exactly that with a 33-23 advantage for Spring-Ford that held firm at 47-37 by the end of the third quarter.

“Norristown is a really good team. Coming in, we knew it was gonna be hard,” Nguyen said. “We just knew we had to win.”

The Eagles (8-8, 4-2), after starting 1-6 on the season, have since cruised into second place, entering Tuesday a game behind Spring-Ford. And against a defense allowing a conference-low 41.1 ppg, it’s understandable why.

Norristown had no issue on the offensive end of the floor. Junior guard Jayden Byrd put up a game-high 19 points and Jonathan Brooks added 16. The Eagles put up the fourth-most points Rams have allowed all season.

Trouble is, Spring-Ford had its highest outing of the winter.

“We talked about being in attack mode, that kind of thing,” Norristown coach Rick Bell said. “You could see our issues, we gotta get stops. We gotta do a better job of getting stops.”

Norristown ran into foul trouble as well. The Rams shot 16-for-21 at the line while the Eagles were 7-for-14.
As Spring-Ford’s bench players checked in, the Rams only continued to dial it up. Spring-Ford scored 22 points in the fourth quarter, the most of any frame on the night.

“Our whole rotation, everybody can score. It just depends on who has the open shot. It depends on the situation,” Nguyen said on his team’s depth. “At Owen J., I got boxed in. So with Tommy (Kelly), it’s so much easier to score in the paint.”

Kelly, a 6-foot-4 forward, had a breakout game against Owen J. Roberts with 19 points on Saturday. But Tuesday saw more heavy-lifting from Spring-Ford’s guards, the trio of Nguyen, Campbell and Little coming up with points in the paint, from 3-point range and in transition.

Q3, 2:03 — Tyree Banks with the layup off a turnover. Spring-Ford is all gas no breaks out of halftime. pic.twitter.com/vYfU0YO8XS

— Evan Wheaton (@EvanWheaton) January 18, 2023

With 60-plus points in the last three games — and a 50-point outing against Spring-Ford’s stingy defense — the Eagles have been able to dance with PAC opponents throughout January. But the defensive hardwood is still a work in progress for the Liberty contenders.

“We can score the basketball. We could probably do a better job scoring the basketball, but it doesn’t matter if we’re not getting stops at the other end,” Bell said. “We’re just not disciplined enough on defense. Not yet. Hopefully we’ll get there. In order to beat the good teams, we’re gonna have to be.”

Ranked No. 2 among District 1 Class 6A schools, Spring-Ford hasn’t lost since its season-opener against 5A West Chester East and is now on a 15-game win streak.

But the district rankings, wins and defensive statistics are all a bunch of noise that the Rams are trying to tune out.
In a conference race which Spring-Ford just gained even more ground in, the Rams are taking it day-by-day, game-by-game and leaving each night to have its own story.

And against a divisional foe that’s been catching its stride when it’s needed to most, Spring-Ford had a better story than it has in several games. But with the final buzzer, the ear plugs go back in.

“I don’t want that pressure on them. Methacton certainly knows what that feels like,” Dempsey said. “They’re high school kids, they go to school, they practice, they have lives. I don’t want them burdened by that, this is supposed to be fun. I’m trying to shield them from the stress of that.

“At the end of the day, I just want us to be playing our best basketball towards the end of the season. It’s nice to have won all those games, but in reality, we haven’t won anything.”

Spring-Ford 69, Norristown 50