Eagles make it a Dist. 1 Pa. final

Norristown needed to spend only about three hours in the western half of the state to take its title last night.

The Eagles traveled to Shippensburg University and beat Moon Area, 52-33, to win the West bracket and earn a spot in Saturday night's PIAA State Class AAAA title game against Chester.

The teams also played in the District 1 final, won by Chester, 61-47.

The Eagles (32-1) used a balanced attack that placed three starters in double figures. Khalif Wyatt and Maurice Briggs scored 11 points and Sheldon Mayer added 10.

The win set up an all-District 1 Class AAAA championship game on Saturday night (8 p.m.) at Penn State's Bryce Jordan Athletic Center.

It will be the first appearance in the title game for Norristown since a 53-42 loss in 1976 to Fifth Avenue, a school that closed for good later that year.

Moon (23-8) challenged the Eagles only once, in the early stages of the second half, coming to within 22-21 and 23-22 before the Eagles went on a 14-0 run to put the game away.

In that stretch, Khalif Wyatt hit an NBA-distance three-pointer, estimated at 27 feet, to put the Eagles up, 26-22, Sheldon Mayer hit a pull-up jumper to make it 28-22, and Wyatt added two free throws to increase the lead to 30-22.

With two minutes left, Maurice Briggs scored down low off a pass from Wyatt to make it 32-22.

Moon fell in the WPIAL Class AAAA championship game to Pittsburgh Central Catholic, 55-54, but beat the same team, 61-41, in the state quarterfinals on Saturday.

Moon 10 8 4 11 - 33

Norristown 14 7 13 18 - 52

M: Henderson 3, Keir Jeter 12, Johnson 4, Valenzi 5, Brian Walsh 9.

N: Maurice Briggs 11, Juan Chapman 2, Russell Graham 8, Sheldon Mayer 10, James Ramsey 5, Jared Smart 3, Quentin Watson 2, Khalif Wyatt 11.