HMHS Boys Basketball: Rounds 1 and 2 of the NJSIAA South Jersey Group 2 Playoffs

By Lauree Padgett / Exclusive to Haddonfield[dot]Today

It was probably no surprise to anyone that the 12-plus inches of snow Mother Nature ungraciously dumped on us Sunday, February 22 into the Monday the 23 resulted in near-shutdowns across the state Monday and into the week. The publishing company in Medford where I work was closed through Tuesday with an “optional” WFH day on Wednesday that most people who did not have a big production deadline looming (that was not me, alas) gladly chose.

Thus, it was also not unexpected that the girls and boys basketball playoffs scheduled to start last Tuesday, 2/24, were pushed back by 2 days across the board. What was a surprising development (and not it a good way) for me was that I found myself sidelined with another winter illness and had to watch (and record stats) from the comfort of my chair and my desktop computer via HUDL Thursday, hoping that the boys would beat their round 1 and then round 2 opponents so I could see them in person again this season.

Round 1: February 26, 2026

The boys, as you may recall, are the #1 seed in South Jersey Group 2, so all the games they play are on their home court. The girls are seeded #4, so on Thursday, they also had home court advantage. They had no trouble taking care of the 13th seed Barnegat, winning by 41 points, 63–22. Freshman Sara Guveiyian, Ryan’s younger sis, put 19 points on the board in the victory that advanced them to the second round.

The boys wouldn’t have it quite so easy in their match against their Colonial Liberty rival the Eagles of West Deptford. In their regular season contests In late December and late January, the Dawgs had taken care of business, upending the Eagles the first game by 41, 70–29, and then by 47, 78–31, when they met again. Raise your hand (after all, no one could see you) if you thought this was going to be another blowout. I sure did.

To their credit, the Eagles, the #16, i.e., the lowest, seed, didn’t come into this game against the Dawgs with the attitude that its outcome was a foregone conclusion even if a lot of the Dawgs’ faithful did.

The first quarter did start off as if a rout was in motion. Senior Chris Beane got the offense going with a 3-pointer. After the Eagles got a basket to make it 3–2, Haddonfield, with 6:33 on the clock, senior Chase Stadler, who started the game for the indisposed John Scipione, rattled in a 3, and it was 6–2. However, the Eagles answered with a 3. And when Stadler swooshed in another trey on the Dawgs’ next possession, the Eagles answered with a 2. So at the 5:10 mark, Haddonfield was only up by 2, 9–7.

Stadler knocked down another 3, West Deptford got a 2. The quarter whittled down to 55 seconds before Haddonfield got another bucket from Beane, this one in the paint. And again, the Eagles got the ball in the basket with 39 seconds on the clock, which was the last one of the quarter. So going into the second 8 minutes of round 1 playoff action, the Dawgs were ahead by a mere 3, 14–11.

The boys had spent much of those 8 minutes looking tentative against a team they had “dawg”-handled twice. “What was going on?” I wondered. Then I remembered something that the senior boys shared during our “group talk” on January 29: John Scipione was the playmaker on the court. “He makes the other guys better,” is how McKeever put it, explaining, “He finds you when you don’t even know you’re open.” The absence of their point guard was having an impact on their ability to set up plays and score, especially in the paint.

The Eagles had possession to start the second quarter, but Beane picked off the ball, and sophomore Ethan Miller pulled down an offensive rebound and then put the ball back up for 2. Now the Dawgs were up by 5, 16–11. And it stayed that way for several trips up and down the court. At the 5:36 mark, the Eagles missed two shots from the foul line, keeping it 16–11, Dawgs. Although senior Dawg Jack McKeever secured the defensive board after the second foul shot did not drop, West Deptford stole the ball. Beane stole it back, and then the Eagles did the same, this time going all the way to the basket for 2. The Eagles were now trailing by 3 again, 16–13, with 5:03 left in the half.

At the other end, the Dawgs had several attempts to score after grabbing offensive boards, but none were successful. After the last missed shot, West Deptford got the ball and got another 2. Now it was a 1-point, 16–15, game, with just under 4 minutes to go. McKeever got fouled attempting to score and made both shots from the line to push the lead back to 3, 18–15, at the 3:30 mark. Good “D” by the Dawgs got a travel called on the Eagles with 3:21 on the clock.

Senior Michael Douglas picked a great time to launch his first 3 of the game off a feed by senior Mike Mooney, and with 2:52 to go in the half, the Dawgs were back on top by 6, 21–15. Back-to-back buckets by West Deptford got the Eagles back to within 2, 21–19, with 2:10 to go. The Dawgs pulled down an offensive board after a missed shot but got an offensive foul called against them. Douglas got the ball back on a steal before West Deptford knocked the ball out of bounds with 1:23 on the clock.

Once back in play, Douglas found an open Stadler, who hit his 4th 3 of the game. Now with 1:01 to go, the Dawgs were up 24–19. The Eagles got fouled at the other end, and with 55.1 seconds left in the half, sank 1–2 from the line to make it 24–20, Haddonfield. The Dawgs would get the final bucket of the half, a 3 from Douglas off a pass from freshman JP Crawford, who had come in to provide minutes and some “point guarding” both quarters, a role he fills well on the JV squad. Although the Eagles got the ball back with time to set up a play, good pressure by junior Ryan Guveiyian and Crawford forced a West Deptford turnover. The Dawgs tried two shots before the buzzer sounded, and while neither went in, Haddonfield headed to the locker room up by 7, 27–20.

In the third quarter, aided by 11 points by Guveiyian, the Dawgs started putting some distance between themselves and the Eagles. Guveiyian’s first basket was the fourth attempt by the Dawgs to score after they inbounded to start the quarter. Guveiyian was fouled as he drove up and in for the bucket, and his foul shot make it 30–20, Haddonfield, with 7:43 on the clock. The foul shot also gave his team its first double-digit lead of the game.

While the Dawgs were finding a bit more of a scoring rhythm, their defense was causing all sorts of trouble for West Deptford. Guveiyian scored again off a feed from Beane, Douglas hit another 3 off a pass from Mooney, and that was followed by a high lob pass from Mooney to Douglas, who slammed the ball home. In about a span of 2-and-a-half minutes, the Dawgs had put 10 points on the board while keeping the Eagles on the ropes.

West Deptford got its first (of two) baskets off an easy layup to make it a 37–22 game with 5:17 on the clock. The Dawgs, or should I say, Guveiyian, got the next three baskets. With about 90 seconds remaining in the quarter, the Dawgs had taken charge. (In fact, to the delight of the crowd, a few plays earlier, Mooney had taken an offensive charge after the refs had missed what looked like a West Deptford foul its previous possession.) They were up by 21, 43–22. The Eagles landed the ball in the net for the second time to close out the quarter, but as the 4th one began, they were still down by 19, 43–24.

The 4th quarter saw some of the JV squad contributing to the Dawgs’ offense. Miller added 2 from the foul line. Crawford put up a 3, to the glee of the starters on the bench, as well as a 2, and sophomore Oscar (Ozzie) Burns also scored a bucket. When the horn sounded to end the game, the Dawgs had won by 28, 57–29. So while the outcome might have been a given, kudos to the West Deptford Eagles, particularly their seniors, for making it much more of a game, especially in the first half, than anyone was expecting. Three Dawgs were in double figures: Douglas had 13; Stadler, with his four 3’s, finished with 12; and Guveiyian, with his five 3rd quarter baskets, added 11.

Quarter Scores:

1st: Haddonfield, 14, West Deptford, 11

2nd: Haddonfield, 13, West Deptford, 9

Half: Haddonfield, 27, West Deptford, 20

3rd: Haddonfield, 16, West Deptford, 4

4th: Haddonfield, 14, West Deptford, 5

Final: Haddonfield, 57, West Deptford, 29

Player Scores:

Michael Douglas: 13

Chase Stadler: 12

Ryan Guveiyian: 11

Chris Beane: 8

JP Crawford: 5

Ethan Miller: 4

Jack McKeever: 2

Ozzie Burns: 2

Round 2: February 28, 2026

The second round of the NJSIAA Group 2 playoffs meant another double-header for Haddonfield fans, as the girls took to the court first to play Colonial Patriot rival Collingswood. That game was hard to watch. And with about 4 minutes left in the 4th, it wasn’t looking good for the Lady Dawgs, who had beaten the Panthers their last five matchups. With about 4 minutes left (to be honest, I scribbled a few notes down during and after the game), the girls were trailing by 5, 20–25. But with 3:10 to go, Sara Guveiyian went up and in to tie it at 25. Sophomore Avery Sinnes’ 3 put the Dawgs up 28–25, and the Dawgs held on to win 32–27. They will head down toward the shore on Tuesday to go up against another Panther team, Middle Township. Game time is 5 p.m.

Everyone who saw all or part of the girls’ game and who stayed to watch the boys take on the Pirates of Cedar Creek (or, like me, was streaming again on HUDL) was hoping for a less stressful 32 minutes. Alas, that was not the case …

Going into its game with Haddonfield, Cedar Creek, the #8 seed, boasted an 18–8 overall record and were 9–3 in the Cape Atlantic-National division. The Pirates had won four out of their last five games, which included a double-digit, 48–29, victory of Haddon Heights in round 1.

The Dawgs were without John Scipione once more, so to start the game, Chris Beane, Mike Mooney, Chase Stadler, Michael Douglas, and Ryan Guveiyian took to the court. Neither team scored their first possession, and Cedar Creek got the first basket with 6:47 on the clock. The Dawgs were looking a bit tentative again on the floor and did not get their first bucket until the 4:25 mark on a drive by Beane after he secured the defensive board at the other end.

Beane would put the Dawgs ahead 4–2 on a feed from Guveiyian, but the Pirates got a quick 2 to tie it at 4 with 3:31 left in the quarter. Pirate foul shots put them up by 2, and then they went on a run, scoring three times in about a 2-minute span. With 36 seconds remaining in the 1st, they were up by 8, 12–4. Haddonfield lost the ball out of bounds with 17.5 on the clock, but Jack McKeever’s pickoff set up a basket by Douglas. When the quarter-ending buzzer sounded, the Dawgs were trailing by 6, 6–12.

The Dawgs inbounded the ball to start the 2nd quarter. After a Cedar Creek foul, Beane drove to the hoop and scored, getting the Dawgs to within 4, 8–12. After a steal by Guveiyian and an out-of-bounds call on the Pirates with 6:55 on the clock, what looked like a sure shot by Douglas wouldn’t roll in. At the other end, the Dawgs were charged with a shooting foul. At the line (or should I say plank—hey, I had to make one arrr-gravating joke for Gary Vermaat), the Pirates’ first shot missed and with the second one, the ball did what it wouldn’t do for Douglas: It rolled in. Now it was a 5-point, 13–8, Cedar Creek advantage with about 90 seconds having ticked off the clock.

McKeever got his own offensive board and scored, cutting the Pirates’ edge to 3, 13–10, with 5:46 left in the half. Under the Pirates’ basket, Guveiyian tipped the ball toward Douglas, who passed it to Beane. Beane was fouled going in for a basket and made both shots from the line. Now the Dawgs were within 1, 12–13. However a quick 3 by the Pirates upped the lead back to 4, 16–12. The Dawgs did not score, but the Pirates were called for traveling, so the Dawgs got the ball back. After some dicey passing by Haddonfield, Cedar Creek stole the ball only to lose it out of bounds. Haddonfield missed two shots under its basket, but Cedar Creek gave the ball back, this time on a foul call with just under 4 minutes until the half.

A Douglas jumper with 3:22 on the clock made it a 2-point, 14–16, differential. Tough “D” on the sidelines by Ethan Miller and Douglas forced Cedar Creek to call a timeout with 2:34 on the clock. After inbounding, the Pirates’ shot did not go in, and Douglas grabbed the rebound. Under the Dawgs’ basket, Miller’s shot found the net, tying the game 16–16 with 2:14 left in the half. A travel was called on the Pirates at the 2:01 mark, setting up a 2 by McKeever from a Douglas pass. The Dawgs had the lead again for the first time since the 3:53 mark in the 1st, up by 2, 18–16, with 1:51 on the clock.

A 2 by the Pirates brought the match even again with 1:01 remaining in the half. Miller found the net again to inch the Dawgs back in front 20–18, with 42 seconds on the clock. However, with 13.8 seconds left, a Dawg foul sent the Pirates to the line. Both shots were good. The Dawgs got a shot off, but it did not go in. As the teams headed off the court, the game was knotted at 20.

The Pirates inbounded to start the 3rd and wasted no time getting a basket to reclaim the lead, 22–20. The Dawgs were passing the ball around the horn, looking for a good shot. And one opened up as JP Crawford, who got ample playing time again, swooshed in a 3, giving the Dawgs a 1-point, 23–22, edge with 6:48 on the clock. A few plays and about a minute later, Guveiyian’s 2 made it 25–22, Haddonfield. At the other end, Guveiyian blocked a Pirate shot and Douglas garnered the ball, driving down the court into the paint for a basket. Now with the Dawgs up 27–22, Cedar Creek called a timeout with 4:58 on the clock.

The Pirates still couldn’t score and were beginning to look a bit rattled. A Crawford-to-McKeever-to Douglas play set Douglas up under the basket. His shot “rattled” in, making it 29–22 with 3:04 left in the quarter. Good pressure by the Dawgs forced a Cedar Creek turnover, and a maneuver by Guveiyian, intentional or not, flipped the ball to Douglas, who scored under the basket, giving the Dawgs a 9-point, 31–22, lead with 2:42 showing on the scoreboard.

Before Dawg fans could get too calm, the Pirates put 5 straight points on the board, 3 from the foul line and one off a steal, to get back to within 4, 31–27, with 1:16 left in the quarter. Under the Dawgs’ basket, Guveiyian went down hard off a Cedar Creek foul that was called non-shooting. Guveiyian got revenge by taking the inbounds ball under the net and going up and in. Now the Dawgs’ lead was back to 5, 33–27 with 1:16 on the clock. A trey by the Pirates made it 33–30, Dawgs with 1:04 remaining in the 3rd.

A travel called against the Dawgs gave the Pirates back the ball. After a near-pickoff by Crawford, the ball went out of bounds off Haddonfield with 21.4 seconds to go. With 13.5 left in the quarter, Cedar Creek got to within 1, 33–32, on a field goal. A Cedar Creek foul on Douglas with 2.8 on the clock put him on the line. He made both shots. Going into the 4th, the Dawgs were out in front, but only by 3.

That’s when Beane’s offense kicked into high gear. He scored off the inbounds that started the 4th, and a few plays later, he got a defensive board and went full press down the court to score 2 more. With 6:34 on the clock, the Dawgs were now up by 7, 39–32. The crowd roared its approval when Douglas took an offensive charge under the Pirate basket. Even though the Dawgs did not score, it also kept the Pirates off the board.

There was a lot of action—passing, fouls, out-of-bounds calls—over the next few minutes, but neither team managed to score until Douglas did from the foul line with 3:13 left, putting both shots in the net. This put the Dawgs up 41–32. Cedar Creek’s 3 attempt went in—and out—and Mike Mooney pulled down the rebound as Guveiyian had a reunion with the floor again. This sent him back to the foul line, where he sank the first shot to give the Dawgs their first 10-point lead of the game with 2:48 left in the contest. Mooney got the rebound off the next shot, but Haddonfield lost the ball on a non-shooting foul called against them.

After Cedar Creek’s shot attempt did not go in, there was a scramble for the ball. Guess who was among the players on the floor scrambling for the ball? That’s right. Guveiyian. That earned him a trip to the trainer’s table, as he left the court holding his nose. (No, it didn’t fall off, but it was bleeding. Luckily, that was all that happened. And this kid is tough, so he wasn’t off the court for long.) When play resumed, Haddonfield had possession with 1:52 on the clock. Cedar Creek pilfered the ball, Haddonfield fouled, but once again, it was non-shooting. Mooney pulled down the rebound after the Pirates could not score, and at the other end and back in the game already, Guveiyian was fouled going up and in. He made both shots from the line, and with 1:15 left in the game, the Dawgs were up by 12, 44–32.

A field goal by the Pirates made it 44–34 with 61 seconds to go. At the other basket, Crawford was fouled. He made 1–2, but the Dawgs—and Beane—weren’t quite done. As he did to open the quarter, Beane got the Dawgs’ last 4 points of the game. Two came from the foul line, and after a basket by the Pirates, Beane finished them off with a drive with 2.5 seconds on the clock. The buzzer sounded, and the Dawgs had fought off a pesky Pirate crew, securing the W and advancing to round 3 by defeating them 49–36.

As they often have all season, Chris Beane and Michael Douglas led the offense, scoring 16 and 14 points, respectively. But all the Dawgs played hardline (or should that be hard-nosed?) defense for 32 minutes. That tough “D” held Cedar Creek to 4 points in the 4th after the Pirates had gotten to within 3 at the end of the 3rd.

Quarter Scores:

1st: Haddonfield, 6, Cedar Creek, 12

2nd: Haddonfield, 14, Cedar Creek, 8

Half: Haddonfield, 20, Cedar Creek, 20

3rd: Haddonfield, 15, Cedar Creek, 12

4th: Haddonfield, 14, Cedar Creek, 4

Final: Haddonfield, 49, Cedar Creek, 36

Player Scores:

Chris Beane: 16

Michael Douglas: 14

Ryan Guveiyian: 7

Jack McKeever: 4

JP Crawford: 4

A Preview of Round 3: March 3, 2026

The boys, who are now 25–4,  also will go up against Middle Township on Tuesday, but will play host to the 4th seed Panthers. Middle Township, in the American division of the Cape Atlantic conference, have a 16–11 record overall, but impressively went 11–1 in their division. The Panthers have won three out of their last five games, including their 24-point victory over Sterling in the previous round. According to NJ.com, in their last four head-to-head matchups, the two teams each have won 2 games. Two years ago, the Panthers came out on top by 8 points, 46–38. My favorite memory from a Haddonfield–Middle Township game took place in 2004, when Kyle Turner’s clutch, and I do mean clutch, 3 enabled the Dawgs to pull off an upset in the South Jersey Group 2 finals. The Dawgs would go on to win their first of back-to-back-to-back state championships. Here’s hoping for the same outcome!

GO DAWGS!!!