HMHS Boys Basketball: Dawgs sandwich two wins around a tough loss
By Lauree Padgett / Exclusive to Haddonfield.Today
The HMHS boys basketball team had another three-game week this past week. Two games were Colonial Conference matchups at home and the final took place at Rancocas Valley Regional High School as part of the annual Jeff Coney Classic. I’ll highlight the two conference games but am going to focus on the nonconference contest, as that was the most tense from start to finish.
January 21, 2025: Paulsboro at Haddonfield
As the Red Raiders are currently in the Dawgs’ Liberty division, this was the second meeting between the two teams. The first game at Paulsboro back in December, the Dawgs had a fairly easy win, coming out on top 59–46. Would this game have a similar outcome?
While Haddonfield jumped out to a 4–0 lead to start the game on baskets by juniors Chris Beane and Mike Douglas, Paulsboro got the next 5 points on two baskets and a foul shot to go up 5–4 with 4:17 on the clock. Senior Jake Dewedoff hit a 3 to make it 7–5, Haddonfield, but Paulsboro answered with its own 3 to take another 1-point edge, 8–7, with just about 4 minutes left in the quarter.
Beane, with one of his classic hesitation moves, put the Dawgs back on top 9–8 with 2:20 to go, but at the other end, the Red Raiders nailed another 3 to retake a 2-point, 9–11, lead with 1:59 remaining. A few plays later, a pickoff by Beane set up Dewedoff for another 3, and when the quarter had ended, the Dawgs had the minimalist of leads, ahead by 1, 12–11.
In the second quarter, the Dawgs’ stellar defense held the Raiders to one field goal, while the offense kept the momentum going. Six more points by Beane, along with another trey from Dewedoff and 2-pointers by sophomore Ryan Guveiyian and junior John Scipione, who also hit a foul shot, enabled the Dawgs to go into the locker room having doubled the Raiders score to be up by 13, 26–13.
The Dawgs’ offense slowed a bit in the third quarter, while the Raiders picked up a bit, but Haddonfield still put 10 points on the board to Paulsboro’s 8 and going into the last 8 minutes, had a comfortable 36–21 edge.
The 4th proved to be the Dawgs’ best offensively. Seven players, including three nonstarters, combined to add 18 more points to the Dawgs total. The Raiders again put up 8. When the buzzer sounded to end the game, the Dawgs had handily taken another win from the Raiders by a score of 54–36.
Quarter scores:
1st: Haddonfield, 12, Paulsboro, 11
2nd: Haddonfield, 14 Paulsboro, 2
Halftime: Haddonfield, 26, Paulsboro, 13
3rd: Haddonfield, 10, Paulsboro, 8
4th: Haddonfield, 18, Paulsboro, 8
Final: Haddonfield, 54, Paulsboro, 29
Player scores:
Jake Dewedoff: 15
Chris Beane: 12
Mike Douglas: 9
John Scipione: 8
Ryan Guveiyian: 5
Ethan Miller: 3
Ben Raus: 2
Congrats to Coach Mulligan!
The same night the boys were battling Paulsboro, the girls were at Haddon Township. At halftime of the boys’ game, our play-by-play master Mark Hershberger announced that the Lady Dawgs had won on the buzzer, 37–34, which gave their coach, Jackie Mulligan, her 300th career win. Mulligan, who played and began her coaching career at Sterling, is in her 11th season at Haddonfield. Here’s to many more wins, Coach Mulligan!
January 24, 2025: Haddon Township at Haddonfield
The Hawks are currently in the Patriot division of the Colonial, and after Thursday’s game, I think most of us are OK with not having to play them again, at least in the regular season. As with some other games, like the one at Haddon Heights the prior week, when the Garnets were up 7–0 and then 9–2 before the Dawgs’ offense kicked in, the Hawks jumped out in front quickly on a 3. Ryan Guveiyian’s trey tied it up with 6:41 on the clock, but then the Hawks rattled off 10 unanswered to make it a double-digit, 13–3, advantage with 3:07 on the clock.
Chris Beane got the Dawgs back on the board with a 2, but the Hawks got an easy layup under the basket to keep it a 10-point lead. Beane scored again, but then the Hawks hit another 3 to go up 18–7. John Scipione, who came into the game a little ahead of schedule due to some early foul trouble on the Dawgs’ end, got 2, but at the other end, on what I scribbled down as a “nice setup,” so did the Hawks, who were up by 9, 20–11, as the first quarter ended.
In the second period, the Dawgs only mustered 8 points, all from Mike Douglas. The Dawgs were able to clip the Hawks’ offense a bit, holding them to 9 points, but going into the locker room, the Dawgs found themselves trailing by 10, 19–29.
In the third, the Dawgs outscored the Hawks 9–4, and as the last quarter began, they were only down by 5, 28–33. The Haddonfield fans, sensing a comeback, were urging their team on as they took to the court for the final 8 minutes. The Dawgs got possession of the ball after the Hawks inbounded on a held ball call, and Dewedoff capitalized on that with a basket. Now the Dawgs were within 3, 30–33. But just like they had done all game whenever the Dawgs looked like they might be making a run the Hawks hit a 3 to make it 36–30, Haddon Township. Ryan Guveiyian got those 3 back on a basket and a foul shot, so with 6:03 on the clock, Haddonfield was back to within 3, 33–36.
But then the Hawks got the next 8 points, on back-to-back 3’s and then a field goal, and with 4 and change left in the game, they had recaptured their double-digit lead and were back on top 44–33. Another foul shot by Guveiyian was followed by a steal and a bucket by Dewedoff, and the Dawgs had closed the gap to 8, 36–44 with 3:20 on the clock. The Hawks’ 2-pointer got their double-digit lead back, but a few plays later, after a steal by the Dawgs, Beane scored, and once again, the Dawgs’ deficit was back to 8, 38–46, with 2:01 left in the game.
A 3 by Mike Douglas and another basket by Beane would get the Dawgs to within 3, 43–45, with 55.7 left in the game. Haddon Township called a timeout with 35.9 remaining, and then Haddonfield did the same with 22.1 on the clock. Guveiyian pulled down a huge offensive board and scored. With 9.3 to go, the Dawgs had clawed back to within 1, 45–46. The defense bore down, and Haddon Township couldn’t inbound. Again, the Hawks tried to inbound. This time, they got the ball in, and with fouls to give, the Dawgs kept fouling, forcing the Hawks each time to inbound the ball.
With 5.9 on the clock, and the Hawks once again having to inbound under the Dawgs’ basket, there was a loose ball scramble. The refs awarded the ball to Haddon Township, and from my angle, since it was alongside the Dawgs’ bench, it was hard to tell if that was the correct call or not. Finally, the Dawgs reached their foul limit and sent the Hawks to the line with 3.0 left. Both shots dropped in, meaning the Dawgs would need a 3 to tie it. A long pass was attempted, the Hawks intercepted it, and made 1 more shot from the line. The Dawgs never gave up but came out on the losing end, defeated by 5, 44–49.
One of my basketball buddies said after the game that Haddon Township played the best basketball they could, all credit to them, making big plays when they needed to. The Dawgs, to their credit, even when down by 11 halfway through the 4th, kept fighting and were a call or basket away from coming out on top.
Quarter scores:
1st: Haddonfield, 11, Haddon Township, 20
2nd: Haddonfield, 8, Haddon Township, 9
Halftime: Haddonfield, 19, Haddon Township, 29
3rd: Haddonfield, 28, Haddon Township, 33
4th: Haddonfield, 17, Haddon Township, 16
Final: Haddonfield, ,45 Haddon Township, 49
Player scores:
Mike Douglas: 14
Ryan Guveiyian: 13
Chris Beane: 8
John Scipione: 6
Jake Dewedoff: 4
January 25, 2025: Haddonfield vs. Moorestown in the Jeff Coney Classic at Rancocas Valley Regional High School (RVRHS)
I am not sure if the Dawgs have participated in all 16 of these tournaments, but I know they have played in many of them. The day honors former RVRHS student-turned-coach, Jeff Coney, who graduated RVRHS in 1979, took over as head coach in the 1998–99 school year, and continued on in that position until his passing in July 2004. Proceeds from the games benefit RVRHS student athletes.
This year, 24 teams, mostly from the South Jersey area, met up for 12 games. In the main gym just ahead of Haddonfield’s game, Manasquan defeated Lenape by 18, 52, 34. Other prime matchups included St. Augustine versus Eastern, who won by 7, and Camden Catholic versus Montgomery (the Irish won by 9).
The Dawgs’ opponents were the Moorestown Quakers, from the Patriot division of the Olympic conference. Going into Saturday’s game, the Quakers were 5–9 overall and 2–2 in division play. Still, that was no guarantee that the Dawgs would be able cook the Quakers’ oats.
The beginning of the game was not a good harbinger for the Dawgs. After getting the tipoff (which was a do-over after neither player actually tipped the ball the first attempt), the Dawgs lost it on a travel call. The Quakers did not score, the Dawgs got a shot off this time but also didn’t score. A blocked shot by the Dawgs was called a foul and sent the Quakers to the line, where 1 of 2 shots dropped, so at the 6:29 mark, the Dawgs once again found themselves on the trailing end. About a minute later, Chris Beane got his own rebound and scored, putting the Dawgs up 2–1. This was the first lead the Dawgs had had in more than 4 quarters of play.
At least at that “point,” the lead wouldn’t last, as 2 foul throws from the Quakers tipped the lead back to them 3–2, with 4:38 on the clock. A drive by Ryan Guveiyian flipped it back in favor of the Dawgs, 4–3, with 4:21 on the board. Beane drove in the paint again, making it 6–3, and after a defensive board by Jake Dewedoff, Mike Douglas made a trip to the foul line and both shots were good. Now the Dawgs were up 8–3 with 2:20 left in the quarter.
Moorestown got a second-chance bucket, and a few plays later, got another off a Haddonfield turnover as the clock ran down. The quarter ended with the Dawgs only up by 1, 8–7.
The Dawgs, who started the second quarter looking a bit tentative, got their first basket of the second quarter with an assist of sorts by the Quakers. After a missed shot by Haddonfield, a Moorestown player tried to save the ball, lunging out of bounds and managing instead to put it in the hands of Dewedoff, who swooshed in a 3. After getting a defensive board under the Quaker basket, Beane pulled down an offensive one under the Dawg basket and put the ball up and in. This gave the Dawgs a 12–7 lead with 5:57 on the clock.
Douglas grabbed the defensive board, Dewedoff saved the ball off an iffy dribble, and went into score. Now the Dawgs were up by 7, 14–7, at the 5:12 mark. Moorestown finally its first basket of the quarter, then went 1–1 from the line, closing its gap to 4, 10–14, with just under 4 minutes left in the half. After a bad shot by the Dawgs, the Quakers got another basket off an offensive rebound to get to within 2, 14–12.
After Douglas pulled down another defensive rebound, the Dawgs had another moving violation called. This time, the Quakers’ basket knotted it at 14. At the other end, Douglas’ offensive board resulted in 2 off a nice drive by Dewedoff, enabling the Dawgs to go back on top 16–14 with 3:07 until the half. Moorestown got fouled but missed both chances at the line, and back at the Dawgs’ end, Dewedoff scored off another offensive board, getting fouled in the process. His foul shot dropped, and with 2:36 on the clock, the Dawgs were up by 5, 19–14.
I may have scribbled that the Quakers got their next basket off an offensive board, but I can’t swear to it. (I can swear to the fact that my handwriting, which has never been great, is not getting better with my age.) At any rate, it was now 19–16, Dawgs. Even though there were still more than 2 minutes left on the clock, the only other basket from either team came on the foul line from Beane, so as the teams headed off the court at the half, the Dawgs were up by 4, 20–16.
Haddonfield inbounded to kick off the third. A Moorestown foul was followed by an offensive board by Dewedoff, who scored. He was fouled but did not get the extra point from the line. Neither team scored their next trip up and down the court. With the Quakers in possession of the ball, Chris Stadler took an offensive charge, and at the other end, Beane scored, giving the Dawgs their biggest lead of the game, 24–16, with 6:38 left in the quarter.
Moorestown was fouled trying to score and made both shots, and a few plays later, after another Haddonfield foul, made 2 more from the line. Now, with 5:42 on the clock, they were back to within 4, 24–20. The Dawgs lost the ball, but the Quakers couldn’t take advantage of it. After Beane got the defensive board, Stadler hit a big 3, pushing the Dawgs’ lead back to 7, 27–20. The Dawgs were keeping the Quakers on the foul line, and this trip at the 4:36 mark put 2 more on the scoreboard for Moorestown. Now it was 27–22 with 4:36 on the clock.
About 50 seconds later, they were back at the line, but this time dropped in 1–2, making it 27–23, Dawgs. After Haddonfield uncharacteristically lost the ball yet again, Moorestown got 2 from the field, and with 3:23 to go in the quarter, it was only a 2-point, 27–25, game. Douglas picked a good time to launch a 3, which gave the Dawgs some breathing room with 3 and change on the clock. Moorestown scored at the other end, and this time, Beane was fouled trying to score. He made 1–2, keeping the Dawgs up by 4, 31–27.
The Quakers hit a 3, and suddenly, they were within 1, 31–30, with 1:46 to go. Guveiyian was fouled after pulling down an offensive board. He sank both shots, making it 33–30 with 1:11 on the clock. Moorestown kept the ball moving around its next possession, finally setting up a 3 that swooshed in. Now with 42 seconds left in the quarter, the game was locked up at 33 all. The Dawgs wanted the last shot of the quarter, and Beane provided it, making one of his nice maneuvers under the basket. When the buzzer went off, the Dawgs were back in front, but only by 2, 35–33. Would they be able to build on that lead through the last 8 minutes?
The Dawgs inbounded to start the 4th. Although their first shot attempt failed, the ball when out of bounds off the Quakers. The next shot, a feed from Guveiyian to Beane, went in, and the Dawgs were up by 4, 37–33, with 7:24 to go. Guveiyian provided some good “D” at the other end, Beane grabbed the board, and then went down the court and scored. At the 6:37 mark, Haddonfield was up by 6, 39–33.
Moorestown got those 2 back on its next possession, and then a few plays later, stole the ball off an inbound attempt by Haddonfield, which gave them another basket. Now it was a 2-point game, 39–37, Dawgs, with 6:37 remaining. Haddonfield called a timeout with 6:05 on the clock. When the game resumed, Moorestown had the ball, but Guveiyian and Douglas combined for some good D to get the ball back. At the other end, Stadler got another big 3, making it 42–37, Dawgs, with 5:38 on the clock.
Moorestown’s shot attempt went over the back, but Haddonfield did not score. A nice move under the basket gave the Quakers 2 more, and with just under 5 minutes to go, it was 42–39. This time it was Douglas who hit the 3 off a pass from Guveiyian, putting the Dawgs back on top by 6, 45–39, with 4:35 left in the game. Could the Dawgs fans start to relax a little? Not yet.
A pickoff by Stadler was for naught after a bad pass returned the ball to the Quakers. Good D kept them from scoring, but then the Dawgs missed an easy layup, and with 3:01 on the clock, Moorestown’s field goal made it a 45–41 game. At the 2:48 mark, Moorestown called a timeout. When the clock started ticking again, the Dawgs had the ball and Douglas drove in the paint for a nice bucket. Now it was 47–41 with 2:27 to go.
Guveiyian and Stadler got the ball back, and a field goal by Beane pushed that lead up to 8, 48–21, with 2:01 showing on the clock. A loose ball sent players from both teams diving onto the floor, with Moorestown coming up with it, but the Quakers failed to score. Moorestown then started fouling, trying to stave time off the clock at the 1:36 mark. The Dawgs set up a nice play only to have the ball do everything but go in, and at the other end, the Quakers scored and got a chance for a 3-point play from the line. It went in, and with 1:10 remaining in the game, they were back to within 5, 44–49.
After a Haddonfield timeout and a Moorestown foul, the Dawgs were having trouble getting the ball inbounds. Coach Wiedeman had to call another timeout, but from where I was sitting, I saw him calmly mark up his clipboard with a play, which worked, as the Dawgs got the ball onto the court only to have the Quakers foul again, forcing the Dawgs to inbound again. This time, there was no trouble, and Guveiyian found an open Stadler, who went in for a 2. This gave the Dawgs a 51–44 edge with about 40 seconds to go.
Moorestown was fouled with 36.6 on the clock, making the first but missing the second from the line. Douglas got the rebound, and it went out of bounds off Moorestown with 31.9 left in the game. Guveiyian picked up another assist, feeding the ball to Dewedoff, who scored. The Quakers did not, and with about 8 seconds to go, Beane got the game’s last basket. When the buzzer sounded, the Dawgs had come away with a 55–45 W. But the fans who saw the game know it wasn’t as easy a victory as the final score would indicate.
Quarter scores:
1st: Haddonfield, 8, Moorestown, 7
2nd: Haddonfield, 12, Moorestown, 9
Halftime: Haddonfield, 20, Moorestown, 16
3rd: Haddonfield, 15, Moorestown, 17
4th: Haddonfield, 20, Moorestown, 12
Final: Haddonfield, 55, Moorestown, 45
Player scores:
Chris Beane: 19
Jake Dewedoff: 11
Chase Stadler: 11
Mike Douglas: 10
Ryan Guveiyian: 4
The Week Ahead
The Dawgs are now 12–4 overall, and 6–2 in the Conference (with 1 loss in the Patriot division). Coach Paul Wiedeman is now 4 wins away from 600. He could get it this coming week, as the Dawgs have four games on the schedule. First up is the makeup of the Audubon game that was postponed a few weeks ago due to snow. That is a home game on Monday, 1/27, but note it is now at 5:30. The next night, the Dawgs go to West Deptford for a 7:00 p.m. game. Thursday, the team heads to Sterling, also for an early 5:30 game. Finally, the Dawgs will be playing in a tournament on Saturday, 2/1 at Holy Cross Academy. They will be taking on Burlington Township at 10:00 a.m.