St. Augustine proved its No. 1 ranking

They started No. 1. They ended No. 1.

But this was no wire-to-wire run for the St. Augustine Prep basketball team.

The Hermits dropped from No. 1 to No. 2 in The Inquirer Top 10 in the middle of January, when Paul VI seized the top spot after an impressive victory over then-unbeaten Lenape.

St. Augustine, a Cape-Atlantic League power, was either No. 2 or No. 3 for the remainder of the regular season.

But the postseason tournaments almost always settle the No. 1 question, and the Hermits played their best when it matters most.

St. Augustine won the South A sectional - a loaded bracket that included fellow Top 5 teams Paul VI and Bishop Eustace - and also captured the Non-Public A state title Saturday with an imposing 71-60 victory over Seton Hall Prep at the Poland Spring Arena in Toms River.

That made the Hermits the hands-down choice as the No. 1 team in the final Top 10.

All season, St. Augustine coach Paul Rodio said he had a "very good team, not a great team."

But the Hermits clearly have been the best team in South Jersey since the middle of February. Following an 82-77 loss to Eastern in the final game of the Olympic-Cape Challenge on Feb. 13, St. Augustine reeled off 10 consecutive victories.

The Hermits beat rival Holy Spirit twice. They beat Bishop Eustace. They beat Christian Brothers Academy and Seton Hall Prep, two of the state's most powerful Non-Public A programs.

Senior guard Isaiah Morton and senior forward Charlie Monaghan have led the Hermits to a 28-2 record entering Friday's Tournament of Champions semifinal against the winner of Wednesday's quarterfinal between Group 1 champion Asbury Park and Group 3 champion Plainfield.

Middle Township (28-3), which won 16 in a row and captured the loaded South Jersey Group 2 sectional before losing to Ewing in the state semifinals, is the No. 2 team in the final rankings.

Paul VI (24-3), which was upset by Red Bank Catholic in the South A tournament, finishes No. 3. Bishop Eustace (21-7), which was playing as well as any team over the last six weeks and lost by a 61-58 score at St. Augustine in the South A quarterfinals, is the No. 4 team.

Rancocas Valley (19-12) rose to No. 5 with a stirring postseason run that included the Central Jersey Group 4 championship as well as a victory over South Jersey champion Shawnee in the state semifinals.

Shawnee (19-11), which beat top-seeded Williamstown, second-seeded Cherry Hill East, and third-seeded Oakcrest to win the South Jersey Group 4 title, takes the No. 6 spot in the rankings.

Williamstown (25-4), which won 21 in a row before losing to Shawnee on a buzzer-beater in the sectional finals, finishes in the No. 7 spot.

The last three spots go to Pitman (28-3), which captured the South Jersey Group 1 title; Burlington Township (22-10), which surged to the Central Jersey Group 3 title and beat Kingsway in the state semifinals; and Cherry Hill East (23-5), which won 20 in a row from Jan. 6 to Feb. 24 and lost to Shawnee in overtime in the South Jersey Group 4 quarterfinals.