Chugunov’s fourth quarter propel’s Montgomery past Ridge
BASKING RIDGE — On a night where Ridge High School’s Max Mahoney was set to reach 1,000 career points, it was Montgomery High School boys basketball team who stole the headlines.
The Cougars received a burst of energy from senior Mitch Chugunov during the most crucial part of the game. Chugunov was held scoreless through the opening three quarters, but exploded for 14 points to lead Montgomery to a 55-47 victory on Thursday night at Ridge High School.
“I turned to my coaches at one point and said, ‘We have a lead in this game and Mitch hasn’t scored yet,” Montgomery coach Kris Grundy said. “He’s a returning All-Conference player and he’s an athlete. He loves the big moment. In a big county game like this, with the seeding’s two weeks away, this was a big moment. He rose to the occasion in the fourth quarter.”
It was a frustrating start to the contest for Chugunov. He had to battle through a physical Ridge team in order to find a path to the hoop. Although Chugunov was kept silent for most of the game, he didn’t allow it to break his confidence.
An open 3-pointer fueled Chugunov’s engine and enabled him to take off. Chugunov called his own name in the fourth quarter when he noticed a weakness in the defense. The senior approached point guard Matt Remsen about his findings and the rest is history.
“It was probably frustration because I couldn’t get anything going,” Chugunov said about his emotions after three quarters. “The guy was playing tough defense on me. It was really challenging for me to get open, but it all came together for me in the fourth quarter.
“I noticed that they started coming off of me and leaving me open in the corner. Me and Matt Remsen talked and I told him they were leaving me open when he drove. I hit that first three and I knew I was on from there.”
With starter Danny Engels on the bench in the second quarter with two fouls, the Red Devils took advantage of the undersized Montgomery lineup. Ridge came clawing back, with Sean Melville nailing a 3-pointer to give Ridge a 22-20 lead right before halftime.
Montgomery didn’t allow Ridge to stay comfortable for long. The Cougars made a small change to their defense and went on an 8-0 run to begin the second half. Montgomery didn’t look back after it retook the lead.
An all-around performance from Montgomery was the reason behind the victory. Even with Chugunov struggling to find his groove early in the competition, his teammates picked up the slack and kept the Cougars in the contest.
“Coming into the game coach told us that it had to be a game where everyone on the court had to collectively step up,” Chugunov said. “That’s exactly what we did. I was silent for the first three quarters, but Danny Engels, Matt Remsen and Matt Stagnita all stepped up for me and scored the points.
“The team chemistry is definitely improving. As we get more wins, we get that feel of victory. It makes us want it more as the season goes on.”
Remsen finished the game tied with Chugunov for the team-high in points with 14 tallies. Engels continued his hot streak with 12 points.
“Danny Engels, people see the six 3-pointers against Hunterdon Central and think it’s a fluke,” Grundy said. “That’s the type of player Engels can be. He does all of the little things. He is a coaches dream. This is the eighth consecutive game where he has taken at least one charge. He hits big threes, he drives to the basket and he’s tough. He’s been everything we can imagine.”
Montgomery experienced a minor identity crisis last week during pivotal Raritan Division games. Grundy’s group opened up the week with a victory over previously undefeated Hunterdon Central. The Cougars followed that game up with a loss to North Hunterdon at the buzzer.
Grundy and his boys knew something had to give. The Cougars couldn’t have two personalities if they wanted to reach the goals they set out for. So, before their game West Windsor Plainsboro-South, the Cougars sat down and sorted things out.
“Before the game on Saturday we had a long talk,” Grundy said. “We said, ‘Who are we? Are we the team who beat Hunterdon Central, or are we the team who didn’t bring no effort against North Hunterdon?’ We were going to find out over the course of this week when we played a tough Immaculata team and went on the road against Ridge. We showed what kind of team we could be.”
Ridge had a special moment with 9.8 seconds left in the third quarter when Mahoney reached the 1,000 point milestone. After a failed 3-point attempt from the right corner, Mahoney came crashing down the lane, grabbed the rebound and slammed the ball home.
The crowd erupted after the play. Mahoney not only hit a major landmark, but he re-energized the home crowd. Unfortunately, the significant event and his 23 points couldn’t lead to a win for Ridge. Mahoney is relieved to have the weight of reaching 1,000 points off his shoulders.
“It’s nice to be able to look ahead now,” Mahoney said. “I don’t have to really look at the numbers as much as getting it done on the floor. It’s nice to have, my teammates had my back the whole way. I can play a little more loose.”
