St. Augustine reaches state final

JACKSON, N.J. – The slogan was on the back of their shirts and in the front of their minds.

"Unfinished Business" was more than just a motto for the St. Augustine Prep basketball team. It was a mission statement.

"Ever since we left here last year, we wanted to come back and win this game," St. Augustine senior forward Charlie Monaghan said after the Hermits defeated Holy Spirit, 56-49, in the South A championship game Tuesday night at Jackson Liberty High.

Senior guard Isaiah Morton scored all 25 of his points in the final three quarters and Monaghan scored 18 with seven rebounds despite a thumb injury as St. Augustine (27-2) advanced to Saturday's Non-Public A state final against the Seton Hall Prep-St. Peter's Prep winner at the Poland Springs Arena at Toms River North.

Sophomore forward Barry Buchowski bounced off the bench and delivered nine rebounds and five points for the Hermits, who will make their first appearance in the state finals since 2004.

St. Augustine, the No. 3 team in The Inquirer Top 10, has won three state titles, the last in 2004.

Senior guard Asmar Williams scored 19 and senior forward Jate Cheshul added 15 for Holy Spirit (21-8), which lost in the sectional finals for the third time in four seasons.

"Too many turnovers," Holy Spirit coach Jamie Gillespie said. "At the end of the day, 16 turnovers got us beat. You can't turn the ball over that many times and hope to win a South Jersey title."

Monaghan got St. Augustine off to a blazing start, scoring 14 points as the Hermits broke to an 18-9 lead. But the 6-foot-6 athlete jammed his left thumb in the second quarter and scored just two points the rest of the game, sitting out large stretches of the second half.

"I'll be ready to play Saturday," Monaghan said. "Whatever I have to do, I'm playing."

Holy Spirit trailed by 30-20 at halftime, but the Spartans opened the second half with a 17-2 run as Williams and Cheshul led the way with three-point shooting.

"That was horrendous on our part," St. Augustine coach Paul Rodio said of the Hermits' play in the first four minutes of the third quarter. "It was as bad as I've ever seen."

Holy Spirit's lead was 37-32 after Williams hit a three-pointer late in the third quarter.

But the 5-8 Morton led a St. Augustine rally that pulled the Hermits in front, 40-39, after three. Morton scored nine in the fourth quarter as the Hermits pulled away to the delight of a huge student section that rode on five buses to the game.

Morton's bucket off a pass from Brent Slotoroff made it 50-47, and Morton made a sharp pass to Austin Johnson for another layup and a 52-47 lead with 1 minute, 47 seconds to play.

"Isaiah put us on his back," Rodio said.

Rodio, Morton, and Monaghan said the Hermits have been motivated for a year by the memory of last season's loss to Camden Catholic in the South A finals.

"We lost to a better team last year," Rodio said. "But that slogan, 'Unfinished Business,' was made after that game. Our guys were determined to get back here and win it."

Holy Spirit   9 11 19 10 – 49

St. Augustine   18 12 10 16 – 56

HS: Asmar Williams 19, Jate Cheshul 15, Larry Jones 2, Josh Popper 8, Tyler Miller 3, Dylan Price 2.

SA: Isaiah Morton 25, Charlie Monaghan 18, Austin Johnson 5, Brent Slotoroff 2, Barry Buchowski 5, Mike Greenman 1.