Hahn carries New Castle to Class 3A title (03/27/06)

INDIANAPOLIS — If only another shot or two had gone in, a couple extra rebounds been grabbed, a few more defensive stops made.

If only.

Jay County was 13 minutes away from a state championship, leading by seven with 5:20 to play in the third quarter.

But Zach Hahn scored nearly as many points in the last five minutes of that period as his team had in the entire first half.

He had 14 of his team’s 20 points in the third quarter and scored 29 for the game to lead the 10th-ranked New Castle Trojans past the Patriots 51-43 in the Class 3A boys basketball state championship game at Conseco Fieldhouse Saturday.

Although they were obviously disappointed with the result, seniors Tyler Rigby and Zac Green reflected on their amazing season.

“It’s been pretty amazing for us,” said Green of the team’s run to the first regional and semi-state titles in school history. “No one has ever done that in our school before. It just means a lot to us.”

“Kids like us dream about doing this — coming to state finals, having a chance to win it,” added Rigby, the winner of the Arthur L. Trester Mental Attitude Award who led the Patriots with 16 points. “It was a fun year.”

Jay County (20-7) was in position to cap its great year with a state championship after Rigby hit his fourth 3-pointer of the game less than three minutes into the third quarter. His triple put the Patriots up 24-17 — the seven points was the biggest lead of the game for either team at the time — and had them on a 9-1 run stretching back to the closing seconds of the first half.

Zach Hahn of New Castle (21-6) missed a lay-up on the opposite end, giving Jay County an opportunity to extend the lead further. But the Patriots failed to grab the rebound and Hahn corralled the loose ball, which he put back in the basket as he was fouled. That was all the Trojan junior needed.

Hahn hit his free throw, then buried a 3-pointer on the next trip down the floor. He followed with an assist to Ryan Freeburg, who scored to give New Castle a 25-24 lead. It took Hahn and his teammates just 1:01 to erase their seven-point deficit and claim the one-point lead.

Jay County managed to get back ahead, but Hahn never stopped. He scored 14 points in the final five minutes of the third quarter. His assist to a Bryant Hazelman 3-pointer with 34 seconds left in the third gave the Trojans the lead for good.

“Shooting the ball well,” said JCHS coach Craig Teagle when asked what Hahn did to change the game. “I mean, he’s a shooter ...

“We knew that Hahn would get his points. Our biggest goal was to not let him make anyone around him better.

“We thought that was the key to the game. We thought him, by himself, could not beat us ...”

His teammates, mainly Luke Bennett, gave him just enough help, but it was mostly Hahn.

After scoring seven points in the first half, the junior racked up 22 in the second. He shot 7-of-12 (58 percent) after the break, including 3-of-4 from 3-point range. He also had team highs of five rebounds and three assists.

“Zach gets himself loose well off the dribble for his shots,” said New Castle coach Steve Bennett. “He’s so relentless and an unbelievable contender.

“The points were good, but they were tough plays and we needed some tough plays, some scrappy plays to give us confidence.”

Jay County stayed within striking distance in the fourth quarter, but never got closer than the three-point deficit they faced at the end of the third period.

While Hahn, an 86 percent free-throw shooter, missed a couple down the stretch, Bennett did not. He drained six free throws in the final 37 seconds and was the only other Trojan to reach double figures, finishing with 10 points.

The first half tempo was controlled by Jay County, which took the lead early on Rigby’s first 3-pointer. The squads traded the lead five times before the break, with Rigby banking in a triple from the right wing with 2.8 seconds to go in the opening half for an 18-16 Patriot advantage.

Fifteen of those 18 first-half points came from long range as John Retter had the only two-point basket for JCHS. The team had its chances, but missed a bunch of tries from the paint as it shot just 32 percent after hitting for 66 percent in last week’s semi-state victory over Plymouth.

“I just thought they were physically stronger than us,” said Teagle. “I know in the second quarter if you look at the shot chart we had eight shots in the paint that we just didn’t knock in. ... Those things happen. I thought we had good looks. Sometimes the ball goes in the hole, sometimes it doesn’t.”

All four of Rigby’s made field goals were from 3-point range as he led the team in scoring. Corey Comer followed with eight points and a team-high six rebounds, and Randy Evans scored four points. Scott “Scooter” Bruggeman had five points and four assists.

The defeat ended a record-breaking season for the Patriots as they made the deepest run in the boys basketball tournament of any team in county history. It was also the first team trip to the state finals in school history in any sport.

Jay County also set a school record for wins in a single season with 20.

Teagle credited the group for the way it fought through mid-season injuries and illnesses after its 9-2 start to bounce back and become the most decorated boys basketball team the county has ever seen.

“How you handle and react to adversity is whether you get better or you get bitter,” said Teagle. “And this group got better. They didn’t let it overwhelm them. They took it in stride.”[[In-content Ad]]