Simborski Sparks Rout, Foil Trio Sweeps, Wrestlers Fall in 41-36 Nail-Biter
Nicholas Mistretta
MHS ’79 Cougar Sports Correspondent
Montgomery High School teams posted a strong set of results this week, highlighted by a dominant boys basketball win, a gritty girls fencing victory built on a perfect foil round, and a narrow wrestling setback that swung on bonus points despite six Cougar wins.
Boys Basketball: Montgomery 64, Hunterdon Central 38
Montgomery (20-3) put the game away early and never looked back in a 64-38 win over Hunterdon Central (10-14), exploding out of the gate with a 21-7 first quarter and tightening the defense to hold the Red Devils to two points in the second.
The Cougars carried a 39-9 halftime lead and continued to control tempo after the break, winning each quarter on the way to the 26-point victory.
Mike Simborski led the offensive surge with 26 points, knocking down four 3-pointers as part of an efficient scoring night. Sebastian Kyler added 11 points on three triples, and James Kamara chipped in 10. Connor Benedict scored 7, while Shriyans Mallavarapu added 7 and Mohamed Ndiaye finished with 3.
Hunterdon Central was paced by Stephen Hiaman De La Cruz (10) and Owen Landi (8).
Girls Fencing: Montgomery 15, WW-P South 12
Montgomery (10-3) leaned on its depth in foil and steady work in epee to edge West Windsor-Plainsboro South (5-10), 15-12.
WW-P South controlled saber 8-1, but the Cougars flipped the match by sweeping foil 9-0 and taking epee 5-4, doing just enough to overcome the saber deficit. The team score reflected the back-and-forth nature of the meet: Montgomery led 6-3 after the first round, WW-P South answered 6-3 in the second, and the Cougars closed strong with a 6-3 third round to secure the win.
Montgomery’s foil unit was flawless, with Cleo Tong, Prithika Satish, and Anastasia Nazarenko each going 3-0. In epee, Jui Salunke (2-1) and Aarushi Kharb (2-1) provided key points, while Addia Roy added a win.
WW-P South was led in saber by Victoria Chen (3-0) and Surabhi Guha (3-0) as the Pirates built their advantage in the opening weapon.
Wrestling: Sayreville War Memorial 41, Montgomery 36
Montgomery came up just short in a tightly contested 41-36 loss to Sayreville War Memorial in a match that featured multiple pins, swings of momentum, and several bouts decided by bonus points.
The Cougars earned wins at six weights, including three by fall and two via technical fall. Benson Chen opened with a statement at 106 pounds, winning by major decision 15-3. Montgomery also picked up forfeit wins at 120 and 285.
In the middle weights, Anjin Tsuchihashi posted a 7-0 decision at 157. Montgomery’s biggest point-producing bouts came late: Jahkee Carr pinned his opponent at 175 in 1:32, Cayden Drumbor delivered a technical fall 25-7 at 190, and Aryan Ahmad added a fall at 215 in 1:28.
Sayreville countered with a string of pins and bonus-point victories that proved decisive, including falls at 113, 126, 132, 138 and 165, plus a technical fall at 144 and an injury default at 150.
Despite the narrow team result, Montgomery’s ability to generate bonus points in key bouts kept the match within one or two swings until the final tally.
Photo Credit: Nicholas Mistretta/headlinenewsmontgomery.com