Morton leads St. Augustine to win over Holy Spirit

Isaiah Morton was 3 for 14 from the floor in the first three quarters.

St. Augustine Prep's all-time leading scorer had just eight points.

But the 5-foot-8 senior guard took over the fourth quarter and led St. Augustine Prep to a 62-54 victory over Holy Spirit Monday night in a Cape-Atlantic League clash of two of South Jersey's top three teams.

"That's what good players do," St. Augustine coach Paul Rodio said.

Morton scored nine of his 17 points and also delivered two clutch assists in the fourth quarter for St. Augustine (17-0), the No. 1 team in The Inquirer Top 10.

Senior forward Charlie Monaghan added 17 points with 14 rebounds, and junior forward Austin Johnson added 16 points as depth made the difference for the Hermits before a capacity crowd in the Spartans' steamy gymnasium.

"We have the best 1-2 punch around," said Morton, referring to himself and Monaghan. "We also have the best role players around."

Senior guard Asmar Williams scored 28 for No. 3 Holy Spirit (15-3).

"Our kids played hard," Holy Spirit coach Jamie Gillespie said. "It was a 1- or 2-point game, and they made a couple plays there."

The 6-2 Williams carried the Spartans for long stretches, but the Hermits' balance proved to the deciding factor in the game.

Williams gave Holy Spirit its last lead at 51-50 with a little more than four minutes to play.

But Morton, who finished with six assists, delivered a nice pass to Monaghan for a layup and a 52-51 lead that the visitors would never relinquish.

"Isaiah played a great floor game," Rodio said. "He got everybody involved."

Morton's pass to Johnson for a layup created a 54-51 lead.

Williams hit two free throws, but Morton hit a jumper at the 2:21 mark and then two free throws at the 1:50 mark to make it 58-53, and the Hermits closed out the victory.

"They hurt us inside," Gillespie said, referring to Monaghan and Johnson. "Ultimately, that was the difference."

It was St. Augustine Prep's first victory over Holy Spirit since 2007, when Morton and Monaghan were in eighth grade.

"We're 1-7 against them, but it's the one that counts," Morton said.

The teams could meet again in the South A tournament as St. Augustine is expected to be the No. 1 seed and Holy Spirit the No. 3 seed. Paul VI, the No. 2 team in the rankings, is expected to be the No. 2 seed.

"Hopefully, we'll get another shot at them," Gillespie said.

St. Augustine   19 13 12 18 - 62

Holy Spirit   17 14 13 10 - 54

SA: Isaiah Morton 17, Charlie Monaghan 17, Mike Greenman 4, Austin Johnson 16, Brent Slotoroff 4, Steve Rodio 2, Barry Buchowski 2.

HS: Jate Cheshul 7, Asmar Williams 28, Paul Moore 4, Tyler Miller 11, Larry Jones 2, Joe Callahan 2.