St. Augustine rules Non-Public A

TOMS RIVER, N.J. - They didn't just come from behind.

They came off the canvas.

St. Augustine Prep was down for the count 10 minutes into the Non-Public A state title game.

But the Hermits weren't out.

Led by seniors Isaiah Morton and Charlie Monaghan, St. Augustine shook off the early knockdown and rallied for a 71-60 victory over Seton Hall Prep on Saturday at Poland Springs Arena.

"We knew they were a good team," Monaghan said. "We knew they had Division I players. But after a while, we started to realize, 'Hey, they're not any better than CBA [Christian Brothers Academy]. They're not any better than Holy Spirit.' We knew we could play with them."

The 6-foot-6 Monaghan collected 15 points and 12 rebounds and the 5-foot-8 Morton scored 30 as St. Augustine (28-2) won the program's fourth state title and first since 2004.

The Hermits, who have won 10 in a row, are likely to receive the No. 2 seed in the Tournament of Champions. That would give them a bye into Friday night's semifinals at Monmouth University.

Senior guard Sterling Gibbs, who has signed with Maryland, scored 28 for Seton Hall Prep (26-4).

"We hit them with a good, quick punch," Seton Hall coach Bob Farrell said. "But they answered everything we did. We couldn't contain their offense."

Seton Hall broke to a 24-15 lead early in the second quarter. But St. Augustine rallied as Monaghan, who was scoreless in the first period, shook loose for six points and Morton scored five.

"We went in at halftime down one, and we told the kids, 'We missed four foul shots and an uncontested layup,' " St. Augustine coach Paul Rodio said. "We wanted to come out and play our game in the first four minutes of the second half."

St. Augustine opened the third quarter with a 14-1 run for a 42-30 lead. Fueled by Morton's quickness and the ability of their big men to beat Seton Hall's big men down the floor, the Hermits used their fast-break offense to seize command of the game.

"Our big men didn't get back, and our guards didn't get back," Farrell said. "Their run-outs were significant."

Rodio said his team's game plan was to outrun the North Jersey champions.

"We felt like we can run on them," Rodio said. "Our transition off our defense was the difference in the game."

Gibbs led a 9-0 run that pulled Seton Hall within 42-39. But Monaghan made a three-point play off a nice feed from sophomore forward Barry Buchowski and sophomore guard Mike Greenman hit a three-pointer to make it 48-39 after three quarters.

"We didn't think they could keep up with us," Morton said. "We wanted to stick it down their throats."

St. Augustine received a big lift from its bench, as Buchowski scored four points with three rebounds and Greenman scored nine, going 6 for 6 from the foul line in the fourth quarter.

Another reserve, junior guard Julian Diaz, contributed two points, two assists, and sturdy defense.

For the game, the Hermits' bench outscored the Pirates' bench, 17-5.

"That's been one of the keys for us all season," Rodio said.

The lead was 57-42 after Morton hit two free throws with six minutes remaining in the game. But Seton Hall rallied again behind Gibbs and sophomore forward Spencer Weisz (11 points) to cut the lead to 59-53 with 3 minutes, 7 seconds left.

Morton made the shot of the game on the Hermits' next possession, a step-back three-pointer that lifted the lead to 62-53 with 2:35 left. The Hermits closed out the victory from the foul line, where they were 18 for 21 in the second half.

"He's carried us all year," Rodio said of Morton.

Seton Hall   18 11 10 21 – 60

St. Augustine   13 15 20 23 – 71

SH: Sterling Gibbs 28, Dallas Anglin 5, Stephon Mosley 7, Spencer Weisz 11, Tom Lacey 4, Zahki Davis 5.

SA: Isaiah Morton 30, Charlie Monaghan 15, Austin Johnson 7, Brent Slotoroff 2, Barry Buchowski 4, Mike Greenman 9, Dom Palmieri 2, Julian Diaz 2.