By Bob Nuse, Sports Editor
Kris Grundy knows that for the Montgomery High boys basketball team to be successful he needs contributions from the entire roster.
That was certainly the case in Tuesday night, as the Cougars went eight players deep in contributors during a 53-52 win over Watchung Hills. With the win, Montgomery improved to 2-0 heading into Thursday’s scheduled game at Phillipsburg.
“We have a lot of interchangeable parts,” said Grundy, the Cougars’ head coach. “The sign of a really good team is when some of your main guys are struggling a little bit for whatever reason and you are able to get other guys to step up. That’s what Kyle Howard did tonight. He was great for us. Lawrence Levy gives us so much energy off the bench and some great defensive intensity. Riley Greene hit a big three for us in the fourth quarter.”
Matt Remsen led the Cougars on offense with 19 points. But everyone who took the court played a big role in the win. Howard made some key baskets to half a 12-0 run by the Warriors that saw them turn a nine-point deficit into a three-point lead. Matt Summers hit a three-point basket with 22 seconds left to give the Cougars the lead. And Danny Engels took a charge on the defensive end with less than five seconds left to seal the game.
“We’re getting there as a team,” Grundy said. “We’re not nearly where we need to be but we are getting there. Guys are getting comfortable in their roles. And when you have Matt Remsen, Danny Engels and Matt Summers as your senior captains, you’re going to have a chance every night.”
Remsen, Engels and Summers are the senior captains. Mack Bloom and Levy are versatile juniors who do so many great things for the Cougars. And the sophomore class, which had big contributions from Howard, Greene and Kevin Fromelt in the win over Watchung Hills, is filled with talent.
“Our sophomore class is probably the most talented class that we have ever had,” Grundy said. “They are ultra-talented. You have Kevin (Fromelt) who is a starter. Kyle and Riley see a ton of time. And then you have Joe Elicone and Rohan Prakash who are also sophomores on varsity that have an extremely bright future.”
Howard played a huge role for the Cougars down the stretch. He came up with a pair of huge baskets as Watchung Hills rallied to take the lead with some incredible three-point shooting.
“I was just think we needed a spark to help get our team back in the game,” said Howard, who finished with eight points in the win. “I really have just been working hard and Coach has been noticing that and he has started playing me more. I just keep working hard and it us starting to pay off. I’m just excited to contribute to this team.”
Grundy has taken notice of the improved play of Howard, who was solely a freshman team player last year.
“Kyle had a couple of offensive rebounds and put backs,” Grundy said. “When the offense was a little stagnant he was able to get some boards and put backs that kept us close. He is a very good athlete. He understands our system now. It takes a while to catch on to what we are doing and he has just done great.”
The transition to the varsity has been easier for Howard because of the players surrounding him on the Cougars’ roster. There are great senior leaders as well as talented players in his own sophomore class.
“Last year I was just a solid freshman player,” Howard recalled. “I didn’t play at all on the JV team. I dedicated myself over the summer and just kept working hard and it has paid off. It’s amazing. Matt Remsen is an outstanding guy on and off the court. He’s a great leader. And Danny Engels never slacks off and is always going hard.
“The sophomore, we have been playing together since fourth grade. It’s awesome moving up with these guys. They are a great bunch of guys.”
And together they held on for a win on a night when Watchung Hills did everything it could do to possible pull out an upset.
“They really shot the ball well tonight,” Grundy said of the Warriors. “Coach (Justin) Salton is a close friend of mine. We knew these guys would come in and battle and that they were well coached. Give them credit. We knew (Steven Bressler) could shoot. We knew (Dan) Pilsbury was their guy. We knew (Noah Allen) could shoot. But everybody was shooting for them tonight.”
