Three-peat! Montgomery overcomes raucous road crowd, stingy Hillsborough defense to win third straight CJ4 crown

Every championship means something different, whether its the first ever, 20th, or third-in-a-row.

For everyone on the Montgomery boys’ basketball team, this one also will mean something different to each of them.

For Ethan Lin, it will be his last at the high school level before he heads off to Penn. For Mike Simborski, it will mean he established himself (even more) as an offensive weapon. For James Kamara, it might be the game where his defensive agility shone the brightest.

For head coach Kris Grundy, it was the first without his father, who passed away last week. The man he’d talk to after every game.

Third-seed Montgomery needed overtime, but eventually, the Cougars were able to get enough ahead on top-seed Hillsborough to close the game out, even if they needed an extra four minutes. The final: 55-47.

No one was ever really in control of the game, even though the Raiders led virtually the entire first half, but by no more than six. They kept Simborski out of the scoring column over the first 16 minutes. And brothers Derek and Aaron Feath combined for three triples.

The third quarter was tight, too. Down 24-19 at the half, a mini four-nothing run by Montgomery turned it into a one-point game. They tied it at 30, and again at 32, and then took the lead, but by no more than two. Then, a few lead changes. And then, Montgomery went ahead again a couple minutes into the fourth.

And even though things swung, one could get the sense that Hillsborough was playing like the underdog: more tentative, a little less daring. Cautious, perhaps.

But Montgomery played it 180 degrees the other direction in the final 12 minutes, the fourth quarter and overtime. They took wild shots, made fancy moves to the basket. And more often than not, they finished.

The final score was Montgomery’s biggest lead of the game, at eight. But even then, they didn’t pull away fast. They hit buckets and foul shots down the stretch to seal the deal.

The Cougars – now 25-5 and three-time defending Central Jersey Group 4 champs – will go on to play Cherry Hill East (25-3), the top-seed and South Jersey Group 4 champion, Tuesday night at 5 pm down at Deptford High School in the state Group 4 semifinals. The Cougars beat second-seed Lenape 57-52 Friday night for the SJ4 title.

Central Jersey Sports Radio will be there for the semis, as well as the girls’ game at 7 pm between Central Jersey Group 4 champion Franklin and South winner Lenape.

Hillsborough ends its season at 22-8 with the loss.