Haddonfield wins defensive battle over Haddon Heights to move on to South Jersey Group 2 title game

The game’s defining moments were mostly defensive heroics.

And so it was fitting that the decisive play of the game — the go-ahead bucket to break a tie in the waning seconds of the fourth quarter — was a steal and a fast break by a player who had yet to score at all up to that point.

“When [the layup left my hand], it was the longest second of my life,” said senior forward Connor Fell. “Then after I made it, it was just incredible. I’m just so happy for my team and so happy for our fans.”

Fell darted in front of a pass and escaped for a fast-break layup with 7 seconds left in regulation — his only points in the game — to send the second-seeded Haddonfield to a 35-33 win over No. 3 Haddon Heights in Saturday’s South Jersey Group 2 semifinal game, a gritty, physical defensive battle in front of a sold-out crowd at Haddonfield.

“It’s really huge because going into the year, we didn’t know who we were as a team,” Fell said. “But it’s our defense that really won it.”

The win was also the 500th for Bulldawgs coach Paul Wiedeman.

Wiedeman, a former standout player at Haddonfield — back when his father, Dave, was the coach — is in his 21st season coaching the Bulldawgs (25-4).

He’s won five state titles, and he will now have the opportunity to win the seventh sectional title of his tenure when Haddonfield visits heavily favored Camden on Tuesday in the South Jersey Group 2 championship.

“I’ve had a lot of good players and a lot of good coaches — a lot of committed parents and a lot of committed administration,” Wiedeman said. “But [the 500th career win] doesn’t sink in right now because the biggest thing is beating Haddon Heights tonight.”

Senior guard Ben Cerrato led all scorers with 13 points — his biggest bucket was a three-pointer to tie the game at 33 with 33 seconds left.

Haddon Heights’ pressure defense had been impenetrable to that point in the quarter.

With 1:52 left, Isaiah Turner — who led Haddon Heights (24-5) with 12 points — intercepted a pass at the top of the key, raced down the court and slammed home the go-ahead basket to give his team a 31-30 lead. D’Layne Peterson (9 points) extended that lead to three before Cerrato’s huge shot.

“Connor [Fell] set a great screen, I caught the ball, turned and let it fly,” Cerrato said. “They were really pressuring our guards. And we just called a timeout, Coach Wiedeman really helped us out, put in some different looks. And that really helped us in the long run. …

“This is just a huge win for us, especially against this team, Haddon Heights. What a rivalry. It’s just great to come out with a win on this great stage.”

Haddon Heights actually held the lead for most of the first three quarters before pressure defense on Haddonfield’s part helped the Bulldawgs claw their way back.

Haddonfield’s Steve McClane turned a steal into fastbreak points to tie the score, 21-21, with 1:56 left in the third. He scored again on a drive in his team’s next possession to give the Bulldawgs a lead that they held until the tide turned in the fourth quarter.

“We had a variety of presses that we put on them [in the third quarter],” Wiedeman said. “And we were fortunate to get some steals.”

Even though Haddonfield will be a heavy underdog against Camden, the Bulldawgs said they are looking forward to the challenge.

“It’s going to be a battle, obviously,” Cerrato said. “We just need to trust in our coaches and trust what we’ve done all year.”

Haddon Heights 10 6 5 12 — 33

Haddonfield 9 4 12 10 — 35

HH: Isaiah Turner 12, Tesean Pressley 6, Patrick Campbell 6, D’Layne Peterson 9.

H: Ben Cerrato 13, Tommy Mooney 7, Andrew Gostovich 3, Connor Fell 2, Justin Kasko 8, Steve McClane 2.