The Bulldawgs won their first four games of the 2017–18 season with a defense-first mentality and a patient offensive approach.
It might be tough for the Haddonfield Memorial High School girls basketball team to top last year’s 26-win season, but a mixture of returning upperclassmen and new additions have the Bulldawgs on the right path.
Haddonfield hasn’t missed a beat to start the 2017–18 season. The Bulldawgs opened their season with four consecutive wins, with three of the wins coming against Colonial Conference Liberty Division foes.
A number of players have factored in the Bulldawgs’ start. Haddonfield has gotten strong leadership early from seniors Mary Kelly and Annie Stanton. Head coach Jackie Mulligan said the pair has been especially strong in the defensive end. Haddonfield held the opposition to fewer than 20 points in two of its first four games.
“We’re trying to emphasize that if we play good defense, the rest will come,” Mulligan said. “Mary and Annie are definitely two of our leaders on the defensive end. They make things happen.”
Mulligan said Kelly and Stanton are also good at settling the team down. One thing Mulligan is emphasizing with her team this season is to not get stressed out at key moments in the game or during periods where the team may miss multiple shots in a row.
“They just make it a lot of fun, that’s first and foremost,” Mulligan said of Kelly and Stanton. “We’re together a lot throughout the basketball season, they make it fun.”
Haddonfield is making up for the loss of last year’s leading scorer, C.C. Mooney and last year’s point guard, Meghan Smart, with a new addition to the team. Freshman Keegan Douglas earned the starting point guard position for Haddonfield and has emerged as a force early in the year, leading the team in scoring. Douglas has tallied double-digit points in every game so far this season.
“She’s fabulous,” Mulligan said about Douglas. “I think the girls have really made her feel comfortable in her role as the point guard.”
Mulligan said Douglas has a high level of basketball knowledge and has done a great job of running the team’s plays early in the year. She also possesses the ability to dish the ball off in addition to scoring points.
“The thing she does so well is she gets everyone involved,” Mulligan said. “She just makes such nice passes to everybody and keeps everyone involved with the game.”
Outside of the starting lineup, Haddonfield possesses a strong bench with role players whom Mulligan is open to playing in close games. Mulligan believes having a deep team will be crucial down the stretch this season.
“I’m not afraid to put any of them in,” Mulligan said. “I think the thing they all can do is they can play hard at any time. They come in and give me 100 percent. They’re patient within the offense. I think there’s a place for them in every game.”
Haddonfield is hoping to continue its strong play deep into the season this year. Last year, the Bulldawgs won their first 20 games, but were upset in the semifinals of the South Jersey Group II playoffs by Manchester Township High School.
Mulligan believes this year’s team can be just as competitive as long as they continue to work hard, play with patience on offense and continue to be stout on defense.
