Schulberg Sparks Montgomery Surge as Cougars Roll at Home, Win on Road; Wrestlers Drop Match at Haddon Township
Nicholas Mistretta
MHS ’79 Cougar Sports Correspondent
Montgomery’s girls basketball team turned in a pair of complete performances—one in front of the home crowd and one on the road—while the Cougars wrestling squad battled through a pin-heavy night in a 54-30 loss at Haddon Township.
Girls basketball: Montgomery 60, Northern Burlington 34
Montgomery (12-12) set the tone early and never let Northern Burlington (8-16) settle in, building a 33-14 halftime lead and cruising to a 60-34 win at home.
The Cougars’ balance showed across the box score. Aliza Schulberg led the way with 17 points, burying three 3-pointers and adding a strong inside presence with four two-point field goals. Sophia Lehmann added 9 points on three 3s, while Montgomery put consistent pressure on the glass and in transition.
In the paint, Alia Johnson delivered a two-way stat line with 8 points, 10 rebounds, 5 assists and 4 steals, and Abby Schwartz chipped in 8 points, 6 rebounds, 4 assists, a block and 3 steals. Ryane Riddell added 6 points and 7 rebounds, and Anya Saini finished with 8 points as Montgomery’s offense stayed steady through all four quarters.
Northern Burlington was paced by Priscilla Kowalczyk with 14 points, with Dallyss Williams and Shakthi Ramaswamy scoring 6 apiece.
Girls basketball: Montgomery 51, Trenton 40
On Feb. 14, Montgomery carried that rhythm onto the road, using a strong third quarter to pull away from Trenton (10-14) for a 51-40 win.
After a tight first half—Montgomery led 26-23 at the break—the Cougars delivered the separation in the third, outscoring Trenton 16-5 to open a double-digit cushion they maintained down the stretch.
Alia Johnson led the Cougars with 13 points, along with 7 rebounds, 5 assists, a block and 2 steals, while Abby Schwartz added 12 points and three steals. Sophia Lehmann hit three more 3-pointers on the way to 9 points, and Schulberg contributed 8 points and 4 assists. Saini matched Schulberg with 8 points, adding 5 rebounds, a block and three steals as Montgomery’s defense forced turnovers and converted in transition.
Trenton was led by Angelie Pacheco, who scored 19 points and grabbed 7 rebounds, frequently getting to the line in a game where the home team attempted 17 free throws.
Wrestling: Haddon Township 54, Montgomery 30
Montgomery wrestling (13-16) ran into a difficult matchup on the road, falling 54-30 to Haddon Township (12-12) in a dual meet decided largely by bonus points.
The Cougars earned key wins in the middle and upper weights. Brady Spaulding (120) and Gavin Fong (126) each recorded pins to put points on the board early. Montgomery also got pins from Cayden Drumbor (175) and Jahkee Carr (190), and picked up a forfeit win at 215 fromAryan Ahmad.
Haddon Township, however, stacked multiple pins across the lineup—including wins at 106, 113, 132, 138, 144, 150, 285, plus an injury default at 165—to build the margin.
Photo Credit: Nicholas Mistretta/headlinenewsmontgomery.com