Monaghan lives out a dream

Charlie Monaghan went to St. Augustine Prep for the education.

He also made the hour-long trek from his West Deptford home for the unique atmosphere in South Jersey's lone boys-only secondary school.

But the 6-foot-6 senior forward, who learned the game at the Woodbury YMCA with Pitman stars Luke Dickson and Dylan Colgate, made the daily trip to this rural campus off Route 40 in Atlantic County for another reason: To play in games such as Thursday night's Non-Public South A showdown with Bishop Eustace.

"It's like a dream," Monaghan said after leading St. Augustine Prep to a 61-58 victory. "Sold-out gym. Playoff game. You dream about games like this."

But even the best dreams include a missed shot or two in the second half of a close game with a capacity-plus crowd in full throat.

Monaghan's reality was even better than his fantasy: He went 7 for 7 from the field in the second half, and finished with a game-high 23 points along with seven rebounds.

"Not missing a shot," Monaghan said, shaking his head. "It's like a dream."

This was a quarterfinal with a championship-game atmosphere, from the packed gymnasium to the dueling student sections to the caliber of the teams and players.

St. Augustine (25-2), the No. 1 seed, is the No. 3 team in South Jersey in The Inquirer Top 10. Eighth-seeded Bishop Eustace (21-7), which entered the game with 17 victories in its last 19 games, is No. 5 in the rankings.

St. Augustine features Marist-bound lead guard Isaiah Morton, who played a solid floor game, finishing with 13 points and four assists and controlling the tempo in a pressure-packed fourth quarter.

Bishop Eustace features junior lead guard Carson Puriefoy, who finished with 18 points despite sitting out more than seven minutes in the second quarter with two fouls. Puriefoy hit four three-pointers and nearly rallied the Crusaders to a comeback victory.

But in the biggest game of the season, Monaghan was the difference.

"Charlie was unbelievable," St. Augustine coach Paul Rodio said.

Monaghan, who has signed to play for Division II St. Michael's in Vermont, actually started slowly. He missed his first two foul shots, and managed just two points in a sluggish first quarter.

But St. Augustine's game plan to get the basketball inside to Monaghan and burly, 6-5 junior center Austin Johnson started to pay off in the second quarter.

In the third quarter, Monaghan took over the game. He was 5 for 5 from the field. He made his only free throw. He scored on everything from reverse layups to spinning, left-handed baby hooks.

"You can't stop him!" St. Augustine Prep's student section, the aptly nicknamed Richland Rowdies, chanted again and again, after Monaghan scored again and again.

"He's such a tough matchup," Bishop Eustace coach Bob Falconiero said. "He can step outside, and he's so tough inside."

Monaghan made two big buckets in the fourth quarter, hitting another reverse layup for a 48-41 lead and muscling inside for a layup and a 52-43 lead with 3 minutes, 7 seconds to play.

"I didn't want it to end," Monaghan said of his career. "It's my senior year, and you dream about winning a state championships and being mentioned with all the other great players at St. Augustine Prep."