By DAVE O’SULLIVAN Publisher BUENA VISTA TWP. — The St. Augustine Prep basketball team is 21-0. There’s a reason why. Well, several reasons, actually. The Hermits displayed their array of talents — as well as their mental toughness — in a 60-53 victory over top Cape-Atlantic League challenger Atlantic City in front of a standing-room-only crowd at Paul Rodio Gymnasium on Monday night, keeping their perfect record and reputation as the best team in South Jersey intact. Standout senior guard Sa’eed Nelson scored a game-high 20 points — some of which came on acrobatic, highlight-reel layups — and Justyn Mutts finished with a triple-double as the Hermits withstood several frenetic runs by the Vikings before finally putting Atlantic City away in the final minute. Mutts finished with 12 points, 11 rebounds and 11 blocked shots, and was a huge nemesis in the paint all night long for Atlantic City, and Walter Harvey added 14 points, including going 8-of-12 from the free-throw line. Atlantic City (17-3) trailed 23-9 in the first quarter after St. Augustine put together a 6-0 run then an 11-0 run, but the Vikings refused to fold, and eventually cut the deficit to 37-28. The Hermits ripped off 24 points in the opening quarter, but then scored just 21 over the next two quarters as the Vikings turned up the heat defensively and got a big lift from Ahmad Biggins, who scored 13 points off the bench. Atlantic City eventually got to within a point, 47-46, on a jumper by Ryan Fader, but each time the Vikings got close, the Hermits had an answer. Prep's Justyn Mutts finished with a triple-double, scoring 12 points and adding 11 rebounds and 11 blocked shots. Prep’s Justyn Mutts finished with a triple-double, scoring 12 points and adding 11 rebounds and 11 blocked shots. Nelson certainly kept his cool, connecting on eight field goals while also going 4-for-5 from the line. As a team, St. Augustine went 23-for-35 from the line, while Atlantic City got to the foul line just eight times. A lot of that was because of Mutts’ shot-blocking ability. The Vikings weren’t as aggressive as they normally would be when going to the basket. “It’s really good to see (the underclassmen) stepping up. Walt played a tremendous game. He had 14 points, a couple blocks, some rebounds. He’s been stepping up this whole season, it’s not just right now,” Nelson said. “And everybody else is playing their roles. Austin’s playing his role with shooting, hitting free throws and getting steals, Marlon (Hargis) is coming along, and with Justyn, that’s what we need. A triple-double, which is tremendous. I just play my game, and we came out with the dub.” Facing Atlantic City a week before the Cape-Atlantic League Tournament begins is the kind of competition the Hermits need, Nelson said. St. Augustine also will be going up against the state’s top-ranked team, St. Anthony, this weekend at the Shoot Down Cancer event at Prep. “It was good for us. This helps us get ready for St. Anthony. They are the No. 1 team in the state and one of the best in the country, then we have the CAL playoffs and the state playoffs, so this was good to prepare us for the playoffs,” Nelson said. “Everybody wants to beat us, but we just have to keep going out there and competing like we have been,” Harvey said. Contact Dave O’Sullivan: sully@acglorydays.com; on Twitter @GDsullysays [adsense]