Haddon Township shows great heart until the last second

A friend of Haddon Township girls’ basketball coach Tom Mulligan gave him an honest assessment when asked how the Hawks would fare in the NJSIAA state Group 1 semifinal against four-time defending Central Jersey champion Bound Brook.

“He wasn’t being disrespectful but said we’d lose by about 20-25 points,” Mulligan said after his team had been much more competitive than his friend suggested.

Favored Bound Brook did emerge victorious, scoring more in the fourth quarter than the previous three combined in a 34-31 state semifinal victory over Haddon Township on Wednesday at Deptford.

For the second straight year, Haddon Township (24-7) saw its season end in this game to Bound Brook.

Last year the Crusaders beat Township, 49-41. This one was even more competitive.

The Hawks stayed in the game even though leading scorer Madison Bradley picked up three fouls in the first quarter, sat out all the second, and eventually fouled out late in the game.

When she was in the game, the 5-foot-6 Bradley was awfully difficult to contain. She scored 15 points, muscling inside against much taller players and then moving outside to hit two three-pointers.

And she wasn’t going to give an inch to a Bound Brook team that received a combined 29 points from 5-11 senior Cortlyn Morris and 5-10 junior Cameron Ward, who scored 19 points.

After scoring 15 points in the first three quarters, Bound Brook erupted for 19 in the fourth. A team this talented isn’t going to stay down for all four quarters.

“We played them last year and knew what we were walking into,” said Bradley, who has earned a lacrosse scholarship as a goalie at Mount St. Mary’s. “We were going to leave everything out on the court.”

And that surely proved true.

Haddon Township got to within 34-31 when senior Lindsey Getzinger hit a three-pointer with 7.5 seconds left.

Bound Brook then missed two free throws and Township had the ball with no timeouts and 3.2 seconds remaining. The Hawks had to go the length of the court and didn’t get a final shot off, but the fact that they had the ball and a chance showed what is asked of any true competitor.

“We didn’t quit until the clock finally stopped,” Getzinger said. “We kept fighting out there.”

The final game often brings sadness and reflection, and both Bradley and Getzinger surely felt the sting of such a close loss.

“You hate to see it come to an end,” Bradley said.

Yet they understood what a joy it was to be part of something special, a program that is annually among the most successful in South Jersey.

“I love this team, my teammates, I love the sport, everything about it,” Getzinger said. “There is great spirit on this team and we take great pride in everything.”

That was evident by the way the Hawks fought against a truly talented Bound Brook team. The best thing about Haddon Township is that the Hawks didn’t cheat time, battling for every last second and showing the same type of heart in defeat that was displayed in so many of the victories this season.

Haddon Township 4 7 7 13 – 31

Bound Brook 4 6 5 19 – 34

H: Sydney Farnham 4, Kayleigh Armstrong 4, Lindsey Getzinger 5 Molly Walsh 3, Madison Bradley 15.

B: Cameron Ward 19, Cortlyn Morris 10, Arianna McCleod 5.