Haddonfield Boys' Basketball Notches Blowout Win

Haddonfield rolled over Collingswood 93-37 Friday night in the boys' basketball season opener.

The Bulldawgs used an aggressive half-court trap to near perfection, forcing turnover after Panther turnover, which led to numerous fast-break points for Haddonfield. 

“That’s our focus this season,” Haddonfield head coach Paul Wiedeman said. “We’re running a new type of defense that is predicated on ball pressure the entire game. We want to focus on forcing opponents into quick, bad shots, which will then open up our fast break offense.”

The Bulldawgs opened up the game on a 23-2 run and held a 33-2 lead after the first quarter.

“We prepared against it,” said Collingswood head coach Joe McLoughlin. “We knew they would run the 1-1-3 trap up top, but it’s easier said than done. When you get on the floor, it’s real. We made some careless passes. Haddonfield was swarming all over the floor. I give them all the credit in the world.”

The trio of Jake Sikkema, Mike Lacantena and Billy Griffin proved to be too much for the Panthers to handle. Sikkema led the way with 27 points and seven rebounds as he patrolled the paint. Griffin provided 23 points, hitting five shots from beyond the arc and Lacantena added 15 points and four boards.

“We all had to step up,” Sikkema said.

“We lost a lot of scoring last year,” Lacantena added. “So we try and distribute it up equally. We know one guy isn’t going to score every point.”

Each of the three seemed to have one quarter where they simply dominated. Sikkema had 18 points in the first, Lacantena had 12 in the second, and Griffin came alive in the third with 17 points.

“We don’t have many returning guys, and they’re the three guys we’re kind of counting on,” Wiedeman said. “It’s nice to see our seniors and juniors step up and take the scoring pressure off the younger guys.”

For the Panthers, Tyree Mann Barnes led the scoring with eight points. Jordan Wallace had seven, and senior guard Chris Michael chipped in with six. Michael is the only returning starter for the Panthers this year, and the only returning player to see varsity time last season.

“He knows that it’s not going to happen overnight,” McLoughlin said. “We have a lot of things that we have to work on.”

The Panthers had could not keep the hungry Bulldawgs off the offensive glass, as many of Haddonfield’s points came off second chance opportunities. Sikkema in particular cleaned up underneath.

“We don’t have that guy who is 6-foot-5 anymore,” McLoughlin said. “We have to realize that boxing out is one of the most important parts of the game.”

“Mike and Jake were very effective under the basket,” Wiedeman said. “The guys did the dirty work down there and I’m very proud of that.”

A blowout win like this only helps boost the morale of Haddonfield.

“We just want to keep playing the way we’re playing,” Sikkema said.

The Bulldawgs travel to Sterling on Tuesday night to take on the Silver Knights in a big game for both teams.