Tag: Mike Simborski

March 10, 2026 by Mike Pavlichko

Montgomery earns another chance at a state title against Plainfield with dominant win over Cherry Hill East in Group 4 semifinals

It’s something he’s done his entire career, but it’s become even more a key for the Montgomery boys’ basketball team this season.

Senior Ethan Lin knows when he has to score, and when he can let the rest of the team do it’s thing.

Tuesday night down at Deptford High School in the state Group 4 semifinals, it was the latter.

Lin scored just nine points, but he distributed, allowing sophomore Shree Mallavarapu to go off for a career high 23, while fellow soph Mike Simborski added 28 – just three shy of a career high – to power Montgomery to a commanding and dominant 67-37 win over Cherry Hill East, in a game heard on Central Jersey Sports Radio.

After three lead changes in the first quarter, Montgomery took a 12-8 lead after the first eight minutes, but extended that to 32-18 at the half. Shree and Simborski were big reasons why. Shree was blocking shots, and had two big late first quarter put backs of misses. Simborski did much of the same in the second quarter, and had 15 by the half, while Mallavarapu had 13 at the break.

And in the second half, Monty continued to do no wrong. Every time Cherry Hill East – the other Cougars – had a punch, Montgomery would get them back with a 1-2 combo, and then another haymaker just for good measure.

The win puts Montgomery (26-4) in Saturday’s state Group 4 final at Jersey Mike’s Arena at Rutgers, which will tip at 2 pm. The Cougars will have a rematch with North 2 champion Plainfield, an 82-69 winner Tuesday in Elizabeth over East Orange in the other semifinal.

Plainfield beat Monty in last year’s Group 4 final at Rutgers.

Click below for postgame reaction from Montgomery’s Shree Mallavarapu, Mike Simborski and head coach Kris Grundy, presented by Sportsplex at Metuchen:

March 6, 2026 by Mike Pavlichko

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.

December 13, 2025December 14, 2025 by Mike Pavlichko

No. 2 Montgomery pours it on in second half, knocks off North Jersey power Don Bosco Prep, 66-47 in NJBCA Tip-Off Classic

For a team that went to the Group 4 final in 2025 to have its top scorer limited to five first half points might be a disaster for most teams in their opening game of the season.

Montgomery’s Ethan Lin didn’t score much in the first half, but he didn’t have to, as No. 2 Montgomery – ranked No. 9 in the state – knocked off state No. 7 Don Bosco Prep at home, 66-47 in the NJBCA Tip-Off Classic on their home floor in Skillman.

And if this is any sign how the season will go, it could be another special one for the defending Central Jersey Group 4 champions.

Sophomore Connor Benedict was red hot over the first 16 minutes, leading the Cougars with 15, all on shots from beyond the arc. He had three alone in the first quarter, giving his team an early lead, and helping get it back after the Ironmen had gone ahead.

He only missed one first-half attempt, clapping his hands in frustration on the one he missed.

He’s just a sophomore, mind you, finishing with 21 on 7-of-8 from beyond the arc. Add to that fellow soph, Mike Simborski, who led the team with 16, and Montgomery has found some scoring from its youth for the long season ahead.

The Cougars took the early lead, but it was tight, and Don Bosco went ahead late in the first quarter before Montgy got it back in the second, and never looked back. Still, they only led 28-24 at the half.

After the break, Benedict cooled, and Simborski heated up, scoring 13 in the third quarter alone. He got good looks inside from Lin, who eventually ended up with 17, eight after the break. He hit three times from beyond the arc.

The third quarter was the difference, with Montgomery building what would turn out to be an insurmountable 15-point advantage,

About the only downside of the night? With four seconds left, Monty missed a pair of free throws when would would have sent the student section into a frenzy… leaving Montgomery with 66, one shy of “67” points.

If that’s all that went wrong, it was a good night in Montgomery.

Click below for postgame reaction with Central Jersey Sports Radio’s Mike Pavlichko, presented by Sportsplex at Metuchen: