"It's like you have to get every rebound and you have to make every shot," Norton said of playing against a team that is 22-0, with a 55-game winning streak, and is ranked No. 1 in the country in MaxPreps' Xcellent 25 and No. 3 in the country in USA Today's top 25.
No team can get every rebound and make every shot. No team can play the perfect game - which might be what it takes to beat St. Anthony and its legendary coach, Bob Hurley.
Bishop Eustace (19-4), ranked No. 3 in South Jersey by The Inquirer, was far from perfect. But the Crusaders played a tough, gritty game, staying in contention for 32 entertaining minutes.
"I didn't think we ever were going to lose the game," Hurley said. "But we could never pull away, either."
Bishop Eustace made St. Anthony sweat to the final buzzer.
The Crusaders were down by 37-31 entering the fourth quarter, and were still within 42-36 when Norton made a baseline jumper with 3 minutes, 15 seconds to play.
Norton finished with 11 points, two steals, and four rebounds, and Puriefoy scored 10 with four assists and three steals.
"The point guard is terrific," Hurley said of Puriefoy.
But this was a complete team effort for Bishop Eustace in front of a standing-room-only crowd of about 1,400 spectators that included Temple coach Fran Dunphy and St. Joseph's coach Phil Martelli.
DaSilva scored nine points, grabbed five rebounds, and blocked two shots. Ry'n Bland scored eight and grabbed three rebounds. Dexter Harris had five points and three assists.
"I thought we played great," DaSilva said. "We couldn't have played defense any better."
It was a great experience for the Crusaders, with the big crowd in the building, with the buzz that accompanies Hurley's team when the Friars get off the bus and walk into another gym.
