After a gritty performance at Temple University on Saturday night, the Norristown Men’s Basketball Eagles lost to the number 2 seed, The Lower Merion Aces in the Boys’ District 1 6A finals, by a final score of 68 – 57. The loss comes after the 12th seeded Eagles eliminated number 1 seeded MethactonWarriors last week in a soaring win of 51 – 36.  But for the people of Norristown, this was more than just a basketball game, it was a showcase of the Norristown community’s strength as a major supporting factor for the Eagles. The crowd was wild on both sides, with an especially strong turnout from Norristown students. 

The first quarter saw The Eagles fall way behind at 17 – 2. At this point in the game, the Eagles could have given up and let the Aces roll to an easy win, but the team instead pushed through and kept fighting, eventually tying the game at 39 by the third quarter. Norristown was down by five at about the three-minute mark in the fourth quarter but kept pushing to score till the very end. Righteous Mitchell led throughout the game, keeping the Eagles consistent from the foul line, pushing them to stay in the game. In the end, Norristown had no answer for Lower Merion’s senior, Demetrius Lilley, who has already committed to Penn State for next year. 

Despite the loss in the Boys’ District 1 6A finals, The Eagles will still move on to States, playing Lancasters Hempfield High School at Norristown this Wed. March 9 at 7 pm. With Norristown and Hempfield ranking close to each other in both the overall PA rankings and the Pennsylvania class ranking, Norristown Eagles fans should brace for a turbulent matchup this Wednesday.