Basketball: Lindenwold beats Haddon Hts.

By Phil Anastasia

Inquirer Staff Writer

Bryant Geddes doesn't toe the line for his foul shots.

He stands back a bit, preferring a 16-footer to the distance of a traditional free throw.

"It's my power," Geddes said. "If I'm too close, I shoot too hard."

Geddes found the range from inside, outside and the foul line in Lindenwold's 81-66 victory over Haddon Heights in the opening round of the South Jersey Group 1 boys' basketball tournament on Monday afternoon.

Geddes scored 29 with eight rebounds and three steals as seventh-seeded Lindenwold (15-11) won a post-season game for the first time in the 6-foot-2 senior's career.

"Never won one before," Geddes said. "It means a lot."

Senior guard Zaire Giles scored 17 with three steals and junior guard James Hines added 16 with four assists for Lindenwold, which won its eighth in a row to advance to face the Clayton-Paulsboro winner in Wednesday's second round.

Junior forwards Jake Barr and Brian Tisby each scored 16 for 10th-seeded Haddon Heights (17-10).

"They killed us with fastbreaks in the first half," Haddon Heights coach Mike Ricci said of Lindenwold. "We never really recovered from that."

Geddes scored 23 of his points in the second half.

"I wasn't forcing things in the first half," Geddes said. "I let it come natural."

Geddes slashed to the rim for several buckets but also displayed deep range, making four three-pointers. He was 5-for-5 from the foul line, despite shooting from a foot farther away than most players.

"He's such a strong kid," Lindenwold coach Bryan Brown said of Geddes. "He can get to the rim but if they sag off him, he can shoot it."

Ricci said Geddes' inside-outside game makes him a tough matchup.

"He's a tough guy to defend," Ricci said after his team's third loss to Lindenwold this season. "He can get by you but he also can shoot the 'three.' And not right at the line. He can shoot it from deep."

Geddes entered the game with 959 career points. He knew the Lions would need to win their first-round matchup against their Colonial Conference Patriot Division rivals for him to have a chance to join senior teammate Rakim Bryant and 2015 graduate Malik Muldrow as the only 1,000-point scorers in Lindenwold boys' basketball history.

"It's a big thing for me," Geddes said of his hopes of scoring 12 or more points in Lindenwold's next game. "My dad, my mom, they've been telling me I have to get my 1,000. Now I'm close."

Haddon Heights 15 12 14 20 -- 66

Lindenwold 23 18 15 25 -- 81

HH: Jared Latane 7, Frank Bell 3, Jake Barr 16, Darius Lowery 6, Amir Abdul-Jalil 2, Robert Tindley 13, Brian Tisby 16.

L: Bryant Geddes 29, Rakim Bryant 6, Zaires Giles 17, Jhaki Jackson 13, James Hines 16.

-- Contact Phil Anastasia at panastasia@phillynews.com

-- Follow @PhilAnastasia on Twitter