Carson Puriefoy is Bishop Eustace Prep's point guard.
Usually, that's a big responsibility. The slick senior has to handle the basketball, control the tempo, and orchestrate the Crusaders' high-powered offense.
On Thursday night, the job will involve all that and a lot more.
"It's going to be tough, no doubt about it," Puriefoy said. "But I'm ready for it. We're all ready for it."
In perhaps the most anticipated game of the regular season in South Jersey, Bishop Eustace will host national power St. Anthony before what likely will be a capacity-plus crowd in the Crusaders' fieldhouse.
The game sold out within two hours of the start of ticket sales last month. Tipoff is set for 7 p.m., after a junior-varsity game at 5:30.
"It's every kid's dream," Puriefoy said.
St. Anthony, coached by the legendary Bob Hurley, is ranked No. 1 in the nation in MaxPreps' Xcellent 25 and No. 3 in the nation in USA Today's Top 25. The Friars are 21-0, with a 54-game winning streak.
Bishop Eustace is 19-3. The Crusaders are No. 3 in The Inquirer South Jersey rankings, although they were No. 1 at the start of the season and could be back on top at the end.
Bishop Eustace is a veteran team led by senior guards Puriefoy and Dexter Harris and senior forwards Sho DaSilva and Trevor Norton. Junior Ry'n Bland is the Crusaders' center.
St. Anthony, the consensus No. 1 team in the nation last season, is led by senior guard Kyle Anderson, a 6-foot-8 point guard who has signed with UCLA. Anderson is one of four candidates for the Naismith High School Player of the Year award.
Anderson's father, also Kyle Anderson, played at Lower Cape May High School and Rowan University (then Glassboro State).
Puriefoy said he and some of his teammates have played against Anderson and some other St. Anthony players on the AAU circuit.
"Kyle and I were at a camp together when we were sophomores," Puriefoy said. "He's a great player."
Puriefoy is a Stony Brook recruit who leads Bishop Eustace in scoring with a 21.8 average. He knows his ball-handling and poise under pressure will be tested against St. Anthony's full-court, man-to-man defense - especially in front of a capacity crowd in what could be the biggest game of his scholastic career.
"I have to use my team and not try to dribble through it," Puriefoy said. "I'm confident in my abilities, confident in my team."
Although Bishop Eustace hopes to capture the Non-Public A state title, the Crusaders probably won't play another game surrounded by as much anticipation and rife with as much opportunity.
After all, how often do local squads get the chance to knock off the No. 1 team in the country?
"We've been waiting all season for this game," Puriefoy said. "I think we're going to show well."
Contact staff writer Phil Anastasia at 856-779-3223, panastasia@phillynews.com, or @PhilAnastasia on Twitter. Read his blog, "Jersey Side Sports," at www.philly.com/jerseysidesports
