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Montgomery Boys Basketball Team Advances in NJSIAA Tournament, to Play Hillsborough in Sectional Championship Game

  • Mar 3
  • 3 min read

Updated: Mar 5

By Barbara A. Preston for The Montgomery News | Updated on March 4 at 9 am (Posted March 3, 2026 at 7 pm)


The Montgomery High School Boys basketball team defeated the Marlboro Mustangs on their home turf Tuesday night with a final score of 61 to 49. The Cougars (24-4) will play Hillsborough (22-7) at Hillsborough in the NJSIAA Central Jersey, Group 4 Tournament, Final Round on Friday, March 6, at 6 pm.


MHS played Hillsborough twice this year, in January and February, and won both games. If Montgomery beats Hillsborough, the team would go on to compete in the state semifinals.


The Montgomery High School Basketball team in a huddle during the playoff game at home against Trenton High School on Feb. 28. Montgomery won 70 to 60.

Photo by George Youreneff.


Head Coach Kris Grundy told The Montgomery News, "I am so proud of these guys…this was a very tough game on the road verus a very good Marlboro team!!! We stayed together even though we didn’t play our best.


"We are looking forward to playing in our third straight sectional championship game on Friday."


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Top Scorers

MHS senior Ethan Lin #11 scored 30 points at Marlboro on Tuesday. In recent playoff games he scored 31 points in MHS vs. Trenton (W70-60) on Feb. 28, and 25 points in MHS vs. Manalapan (W76-40) on Feb. 26.


MHS sophomore James Kamara #21 contributed 12 points at the Marlboro game, followed by sophomore Shriyans Mallavarapu #31 with 10 points, Connor Benedict with 6 points, and Mike Simborski with 3 points.


Montgomery trailed 27-23 at halftime before scoring 38 points in the second half at Marlboro, permitting only 10 points in the fourth quarter.


State Championship Games

Rutgers University will host all six state finals, with Non-Publics on Thursday, March 12. Groups 2 and 4 will play on Saturday, March 14, while Groups 1 and 3 will wrap up Championship Weekend on Sunday, March 15.


The Cougars are hoping to return to the Rutgers athletic center to settle some unfinished business — to win the trophy they were denied last season.


Last year, Montgomery had earned a spot in the Group IV Central Jersey State Championship title game at Rutgers’ Jersey Mike’s Arena in Piscataway on March 16, only to lose to a bold Plainfield Cardinals team. The Cardinals led for most of the game, ultimately winning with a final score of 65-48.


Cougar Basketball Photo Gallery (Playoffs)

Photos by George Youreneff.

NJSIAA Central Jersey, Group 4 Tournament

Final Round, Game Information

Montgomery Cougars (24-4) vs. Hillsborough Raiders (22-7)


Montgomery Boys Basketball Team Starters

  • Ethan Lin #11, senior, 6-5, one of the top basketball players in New Jersey. He has committed to play for U Penn next year, and he has scored 1,694 points so far during his career at MHS. Lin is the all-time leading scorer in MHS Boys' basketball history. He surpassed the long-standing mark of 1,347 points in January.

  • Mike Simborski #15, sophomore, 6-4, scored 26 points against Hillsborough on Jan. 13 (@Hillsborough MHS 53-HHs 37). Was a starter in the NJSIAA state tournament as a freshman in 2025.

  • Mohamed Ndiaye #2, senior, 6-3, power forward and an NJBCA Scholar Athlete.

  • Connor Benedict #10, junior, 5-10, scored 21 in one game in December, and has a season total of 201 points. His grandfather, Jim Benedict, is a former Rutgers receiver who spent two decades coaching high school sports in New Jersey, and served as an assistant coach for the Scarlet Knights Head Football Coach Terry Shea (1996 to 2000).

  • Xavier Harrigan #12, junior, 5-8, has scored 50 points this season.

  • Sebastian Kyler #20, sophomore, 5-10, has scored 39 points this season.

  • James Kamara #21, sophomore, 6-4, consistently scores in the double digits in each game. His season total is 216 points thus far.

  • Raf Aguilar #24, sophomore, 5-7, has scored 11 points this season.

  • Shriyans Mallavarapu #31, sophomore, 6-9, center. He also scored 189 points this season.






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