Tag: Marlboro

by Mike Pavlichko

Montgomery gets third crack at Hillsborough, earns 3rd straight trip to CJ4 finals with 61-49 road win in semis at Marlboro

Two-time defending Central Jersey Group 4 champion Montgomery will get a chance to win a third straight, after coming from behind to beat second-seed Marlboro on the road Tuesday night, 61-49, in the sectional semifinals of the NJSIAA high school basketball tournament.

The Cougars got a triple-double from sophomore Shriyans Mallavarapu, who scored ten points, had 14 rebounds and 21 blocks, while Penn-bound senior guard Ethan Lin scored 30, just one shy of a career high.

They say there are no style points, just wins and losses, and that might have applied for top-seeded Monty Tuesday evening against a Shore Conference foe. Head coach Kris Grundy said his team didn’t necessarily play its A game. But with the heady Lin running the show, the word “panic” isn’t in the Cougars’ dictionary.

Down 15-8 after one, Montgomery (24-4) cut the deficit by three to 27-23at the break as they slowly chipped away. Down one going into the fourth, the Cougars shifted into high gear, with their defense winning the day over the final eight minutes.

Montgomery won the 2024 CJ4 title over Monroe, but lost to Lenape in the Group 4 semis. Last season, they won the crown with a victory over West Windsor-Plainsboro North, then exacted revenge on Lenape in the semis before falling to Plainfield in the state Group 4 final at Rutgers.

Now, they get a chance to win their third straight. And while the other two have been at home, this one won’t be far from home.

It’ll be just a quick jaunt up Route 206 Friday night to face top-seed Hillsborough, which they’ve beaten twice this year, by 16 in the regular season and by 15 in the Somerset County Tournament quarterfinals. The Raiders used a strong third quarter Tuesday night to blow open a tight game and beat fifth-seed Jackson Township 73-44, as heard live on Central Jersey Sports Radio.

Click below to hear postgame comments from Montgomery head coach Kris Grundy with Central Jersey Sports Radio’s Mike Pavlichko:

by Mike Pavlichko

South Brunswick falls at Marlboro, 26-16, in South 5 playoff opener

South Brunswick got the first score, but Marlboro got the next two to build up a lead they would never relinquish, as the 6th-seeded Vikings were eliminated in the opening round of the playoffs Saturday, 26-16.

Braden Paulmenn’s 26-yard touchdown run – plus a two-pint conversion run by Jeylon Billups – gave South an 8-0 lead, but the Mustangs got the next three scores, all from Matt Cassidy, on a 40-yard touchdown run in the first quarter, a 15-yard touchdown run in the second, and a one-yard scamper in the third that made it 19-8 Marlboro.

The Vikings would get one back on a 21-yard TD run by Paulmenn plus a two-point pass to make it 19-16, but Mike Consolazio put it away with a five-yard touchdown pass from Brayden Klein.

South Brunswick finishes the season 5-5, while Marlboro (7-2) will travel to visit second-seed Hillsborough Friday night at 7. The Raiders won their opening round game Friday night 14-0 over Marlboro’s Shore Conference division mate Howell.

Marcus Borden’s reporting contributed to this report.

by Mike Pavlichko

Thuderstorms push CJ1 semifinals to Wednesday; Middlesex and Florence never started

In the end, it was probably the best-case scenario for both teams.

Before Florence could even get off their long, yellow bus, the Central Jersey Group 1 semifinals, originally scheduled for today at 4 pm, were called off.

Lightning and thunder could be seen and heard in the distance around 3:00 as the Middlesex players were warming up. Then a loud crack and a flash sent them off the field, and into the school for what head coach Justin Nastasi hoped would be a “wait it out” situation.

Middlesex players warm up before the Central Jersey Group 1 semifinals against Florence Tuesday. It will now be played Wednesday at 1 pm.

In the end, the forecast was not good, and the game was called.

Top-seed Middlesex (17-4) and 12th-seed Florence (8-8) now are scheduled to play at 1 pm tomorrow at Mountainview Park in Middlesex, in a game that can be heard on Central Jersey Sports Radio. Pregame is scheduled for 12:30 pm. Click here to listen.

Middlesex is seeking its third straight crown in Central Jersey Group 1, and it fourth straight appearance in the title game. The Blue Jays have won it in four of the last five seasons, and have also won two Group 1 statewide championships in that stretch.

As of this writing at 4:45 pm, the other GMC team left in the state tournament, Old Bridge, was in a rain delay at Marlboro. The 12th-seeded Knights trailed 1-0 in the bottom of the third, with the Mustangs getting the leadoff man aboard with a walk.

Both starters – Justin Herbstman for Old Bridge and Alex Jankowski for Marlboro eclipsed the 31 pitch mark, so neither would be available if the game had to be continued tomorrow.

Keep checking this website, and follow us on Twitter at @cjsportsradio, for the latest on both games.

by Mike Pavlichko

Knights’ tough schedule has them a win away from CJ4 title game

How tough is the GMC Red Division?

With just seven regular season wins, Old Bridge is a game away from competing for a sectional title.

Everyone else in the Red Division is home. And almost everyone else in the Greater Middlesex Conference.

And doesn’t that just tell you all you need to know?

The 12th-seeded Knights (9-17) play 9th-seed Marlboro (14-8) – and the Mustangs are a bit of a surprise themselves – in the Central Jersey Group 4 semifinals Tuesday.

They will also do so with heavy collective hearts, after longtime coach Fred Cole passed away Sunday morning at the age of 74. The Knights’ home field was named after him in a ceremony earlier this season.

But to look at all those losses alone is missing the big picture.

Of the Knights’ 17 losses this season, 13 have been by four runs or less, and ten of them have been by three runs or less. They’ve also lost three one-run games.

Click below to hear Mike Pavlichko talk with Old Bridge head coach Matt Donaghue about how the challenges of the 2021 season have helped get the Knights a game away from the Central Jersey Group 4 title final: