With a minute or so left in the game, the hugs started coming from Kris Grundy. First to his assistant coaches, then to his players. And a look behind the bench to injured Ethan Lin.
It was just a matter of the final 70 seconds or so ticking off the clock.
When the horn sounded, the second-seeded Cougars had a 53-40 win in the Somerset County Tournament semifinals, putting them in the county title game for the first time ever.
It’s been a long journey at for Grundy, who’s had some great seasons, some okay seasons, and some not-so-good seasons – just like any other coach who’s spent nearly two decades at his or her school.
But this one feels special.
Bohdan Bieketov led the Cougars (21-2) with 21 points, his second career high in less than a week, while Steve Donahue added 15 – including 6-of-6 at the foul line in the second half – for Montgomery.
Watchung Hills (17-7) was led by Dean Smith with 12 points, and the Warriors hit seven treys in defeat.
The game was tight early, with Watchung Hills taking a pair of one-point leads in a first quarter that saw no one ahead by more than two. Monty extended its lead to seven at one point, and was up one with 0.9 seconds left before halftime when Jack Fromelt got a rebound and gave them an improbable four-point lead on a full court heave that amazingly hit nothing but net.
The game remained tight through the third quarter, before Montgomery pulled away in the fourth with a smothering defense, and Bieketov working his magic inside, thanks to good looks from his guards. The Cougars led by 14 at one points, and won by 13.
Click below for postgame reaction with Montgomery senior Steve Donahue and head coach Kris Grundy, presented by Sportsplex at Metuchen:
