By DAVE O’SULLIVAN Publisher HAMMONTON – When you get four teams as good as the ones involved in the Cape-Atlantic League semifinals together, there’s bound to be some dramatic finishes. Thursday night featured a pair of inspiring comebacks at Hammonton High School, one that fell just short and another that made history. Atlantic City held off a hard-charging St. Augustine Prep to win 65-60 in the opening game, while the nightcap was even more thrilling. Holy Spirit held a tenuous lead in the final two minutes until it all went up in smoke in the final 15 seconds. Wildwood Catholic’s Jordan Robertson nailed a 3-pointer to give the Crusaders a 55-54 lead and was fouled on the play. He hit the free throw, then slammed home a dunk in the final seconds after a steal to seal a 58-54 win, earning the Crusaders their 
Atlantic City’s Isaiah Graves gets fouls as he looks to make a pass in the lane during the Vikings’ win over St. Augustine in the CAL semifinals on Thursday night. (Glory Days Magazine photos/Dave O’Sullivan) first CAL championship berth in school history. Atlantic City (18-6) will take on Wildwood Catholic (21-4) on Saturday at 2 p.m. at Stockton College in the title game. Holy Spirit was in command early, but Wildwood Catholic stayed close behind Robertson, who finished with 19 points, and Ed McWade, who scored a team-high 20. The Spartans led by as many as six points late in the game before the Crusaders whittled it down to two, setting up Robertson’s heroics. In addition, the win marked a season sweep for Wildwood Catholic over the Spartans (19-6). 
Holy Spirit’s Jordan Taylor pushes the ball up the floor during the Spartans’ 58-54 loss to Wildwood Catholic. In the opening game, Atlantic City used a 21-point third quarter to take a 47-39 lead over St. Augustine (20-4), but speedy point guard Sa’eed Nelson helped keep the Hermits in the game with some acrobatic layups. With less than a minute left in the fourth quarter he hit a pair of free throws to cut the Vikings’ lead to 59-56. Atlantic City had led by as many as 12 late in the third quarter. Then, with 41.9 seconds left, Mike Vasturia nailed a jumper to make it 61-58. Isaiah Graves hit 1 of 2 from the line, but Brian Seward hit a short jumper to cut the lead to 62-60. St. Augustine had possession with less than 13 seconds left, but an offensive foul put Tashad Reynolds on the line for Atlantic City. Reynolds calmly stroked a pair of free throws to make it 64-60 and Atlantic City added another free throw after the Hermits misfired on a 3-pointer. “It was huge. I wasn’t nervous at all,” Reynolds said. “I stepped to the line and I had confidence. I had confidence the whole game, in my free throws, my shots.” Reynolds said the Hermits’ hectic comeback late in the fourth quarter took the Vikings by surprise. “I was surprised. We kind of folded there at the end, but coach (Gene Allen) said ‘don’t fold, there’s no pressure.’ And we just came out just did what we had to do.” Reynolds also said that getting a big win like the one Thursday against one of the best teams in South Jersey will help the Vikings get prepared for the state tournament. “It’s huge. We have goals, and one of our goals was to get back to the CAL championship and go far (in the playoffs).” Reynolds and Graves each scored 22 points to lead Atlantic City, while Nelson led the Hermits with 18 points before fouling out in the final minute. Contact Dave O’Sullivan: sully@acglorydays.com; on Twitter @GDsullysays [adsense]
CAL semifinals feature a pair of thrilling finishes
