By Ross Wilson

The South Jersey Rock caught up with the Haddonfield boys' basketball team for the first time this year in a Colonial Conference showdown versus rival Sterling at Sterling High School. For those who may have been unconvinced that Haddonfield had the "right stuff", the Bulldogs put on a diligent display of winning via grit and toughness.

Unphased by the playoff caliber atmosphere and spirited Silver Knight fans, the Bulldogs added another chapter to their recent dominance of Sterling, dismantling the Silver Knights 72-65 in overtime, and barking their way to the top of their division totem pole.

"We get up for playing Sterling," said Haddonfield coach Paul Wiedemann. "We're lucky enough to get five wins in a row. It seems like it's in the back of our mind that we always have a chance. Sterling is tough."

Haddonfield received solid efforts from 6'3" junior guard Pat Betley (26 points), senior Sean Wilson and Brian Purves (12 points apiece), Justin Ciecka (11 points), Mike McNeely (6 points) and Kyle Turner (5 points).

"Pat Betley is our leader with the ball. He has the ball in his hands 90% of the time, and he's able to break his man down off the dribble," said Wiedemann. "He creates for himself and hits unorthodox shots. He has great confidence in his game."

Despite the Bulldogs' 14-2 overall record, Coach Wiedemann is fully aware of his teams' shortcomings and has developed a coaching philosophy to suit his team.

"If we don't execute… if we don't box out… if we don't play defense… we'll have problems. We're not athletic enough… we don't have the most skill in the world… and so if we don't do those little things, we don't win. Our players know that if you don't play defense, rebound or execute on offense, we're going to lose. We have to play as a team. All five individuals have to work as one, and our players understand that."

Haddonfield also has the die-hard support of its fans. Bulldog faithful come out to represent their team, and that always means a lot.

"Our fans keep us going," said Wiedemann. They motivate us and we feed off of them. We know we can't get our heads down when we're trailing or else we're letting down Haddonfield, and we don't want to do that."

With the post-season just around the corner, Haddonfield will be a strong favorite to come out of South Jersey and represent Group 2. Pleasantville and Buena will have something to say about that… but so will Sterling.


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