Haddonfield's Second Half Surge Keeps Them On Top Of Conference

High School Basketball:
Haddonfield's Second Half Surge Keeps Them On Top Of Conference

By Vincent Lewis
SJSports Special Correspondent

The Colonial Conference has always been one of the most competitive conferences with over half of the eleven teams playing five hundred percentage basketball or better. So each time a team steps out on the court, winning the game is very important to stay ahead of the pack. When Collingswood traveled to Haddonfield to take on the Bulldogs, only one game separated the two teams as they were competing for first place. After a somewhat close first half, Haddonfield finally decided this game offensively and defensively as they outscored the Panthers 62-29. Brian Zoubek was a force to be reckoned with inside the paint and Anthony Lacatena would lead all scorers for Haddonfield. The Bulldogs convincingly defeated Collingswood by a 101-60 margin.

Haddonfield’s starting center Brian Zoubek looked like a tall man playing among boys on the basketball court. His height gave the Panthers something extra to think about when taking their shots. Zoubek would reject or alter a few shots during the first quarter and Haddonfield would lead by eight after one quarter. Lacatena led the Bulldogs’ offense during the first half and it seem as if Haddonfield would set the momentum early in their favor. But the Panthers, trailing 31-16 with 5:36 remaining until the half, would connect from outside with Joey Soto. Collingswood did cut the lead to 39-31.

During the second half, the Bulldogs gave their home fans and exciting second half. By limited their opponents scoring chances, Haddonfield took full advantage of Zoubek’s height and pulled away in the third quarter. The only thing left for the crowd to get excited about was whether the Bulldogs would score one hundred points in this game. Lacatena led all scorers with 27 points, Zoubek finished with 26, Derek Heckendorn added 14, Blake Wilson connected with 11 points and Kyle Turner dropped in 10 points for the Bulldogs. Collingswood’s Joey Soto finished with a team high 19 points, Justin Dempsey finished with 15 and Sterling Wilson added 10 points.