Managing Editor
NEW CASTLE â??? Zach Hahn scored a game-high 24 points â??? 18 of them in
a stellar first half â??? Dec. 29 as Class 3A top-ranked New Castle
defeated 3A No. 4 Vincennes Lincoln, 64-53, in the opening game of the
30th Annual Hall of Fame Classic at New Castle Fieldhouse.
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Hahn missed all six of his second-half 3-point attempts, but his
10-of-12 marksmanship from the line over four quarters helped lift the
host Trojans. New Castle (9-0) canned 19 of 26 free throws, including 8
of 9 to end the game, compared with only 8 of 12 for the Alices (5-3).
Hahn scored 10 of New Castleâ??s 12 points in the opening period,
going 2 of 4 from downtown and hitting four of five three throws. That
display included a 3-pointer with :01.8 left that pulled the Trojans
into a tie at 12. The lefty then drained both of his trey attempts in
the second quarter, adding two more free throws to lead the Trojans
into the locker room ahead, 29-25.
The 6â??1â? Butler recruit also added seven rebounds and seven assists in playing all 32 minutes.
Vincennes had opened quickly with a 9-4 lead following a pair of
free throws by senior forward Jeremy Cunningham at the 3:30 mark. But a
runner by junior forward Chase Stigall and both of Hahnâ??s threes drew
New Castle even at the first stop.
A Cunningham free throw gave Vincennes its last lead at 25-24 with
90 seconds left in a first half that saw five ties. But a 3-pointer
from reserve senior forward Drew Toner and a pair of free throws by
senior forward Bryant Hazelman ended the opening 24 minutes with the
Trojans having the momentum.
That energy continued in the third quarter as Stigall awakened from
a 1-for-6 first half by driving for a five-footer, then draining a
25-foot three to give New Castle a 38-29 lead. But following a timeout
from Vincennes coach Steve Combs, the Alices battled back with a 10-2
run to pull within one at 40-39.
The only points scored by New Castle over the final 4:54 of the
third came from back-up center Chris Robinson, who tallied on a layin
at 1:29 before converting a bunny on a nice pass from Stigall to give
the Trojans a 42-39 lead entering the fourth.
The 6â??5â? junior, who finished with eight points, then hit another
layin with 7:12 to go, kick-starting New Castle on its way to 22 points
in the period. The Trojans took advantage of Vincennesâ?? frigid 1-of-8
start from the floor to slowly pull away.
Senior forward Craig Heinz had paced Vincennes with nine points in
the first half, but the 6â??3â? forward fell victim to â??Fieldhouse
shootingâ? in the second as he missed all but one of his nine field goal
attempts after the break. Heinz, who led the Alices with 14 points, was
joined in double figures by 6â??6â? senior center Morgan Jones (12 points)
and Cunningham (11).
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