Hahn sparks Titans to big comeback win

Central Bucks South basketball player Julie Hahn has pretty much narrowed her list of college choices to two: De Sales and Wilkes.

That may change after her performance yesterday in a nonleague basketball clash against Norristown. With Alvernia assistant coach Ed Olden watching from the stands, Hahn, a savvy wing guard, propelled the visiting Titans to arguably the biggest comeback in the school's four-year history.

Trailing by 17 points with less than two minutes remaining in the third quarter, South outscored the host Eagles, 31-10, the rest of the way and emerged a 58-54 winner.

"That was pretty exciting," Hahn said. "Things were certainly looking bad for us there in the third quarter. But this team has a lot of heart. Even if we're down by 20 points, we still play hard."

Hahn, a 5-foot-9 senior, produced a game-high 16 points, five steals, four rebounds and three assists. Afterward, Olden chatted briefly with her about Alvernia.

"He said he wanted me to come up and watch the team play, check out the school," Hahn said. "We'll see where it goes."

Hahn shot 6 for 12 from the field (2 for 6 from three-point territory) and 2 for 5 from the line. At the end of the third quarter, capping an 8-0 run, she buried a shot from NBA three-point range to close the gap to 44-35.

Ahead, 52-44, midway through the fourth quarter, Norristown struggled against South's trapping defense and turnovers - 19 in the second half, 28 overall.

"I'm extremely proud of the girls," South coach Beth Mattern said. "With the way we executed in the second half, that's something we can build on."

Hahn and junior guards Calla Miller (14 points) and Laura Duffy (four assists) made a combined 12 steals.

"I've always tried to work on my defense," Hahn said. "It's a part of the game that I don't take lightly."

Hahn, who lives in Warrington, is the Titans' only senior starter. "Because of that, I try to be a leader as much as possible," she said. "I try to keep calm, no matter what. That, I think, helps calm my teammates down."

Also chipping in for South, 14-3 overall and 7-1 in the Suburban One League National Conference, were 5-8 junior Ally Holbert (10 points, four rebounds) and sophomore reserve guard Katelyn Schneider (seven fourth-quarter points).

For Norristown (11-5, 6-3 in the Suburban One League Continental Conference), Bryn Cotteta (13 points), Alissa O'Donnell (11) and Heather McHugh (10) each scored in double figures.

Central Bucks South 16 9 10 23 - 58

Norristown 16 20 8 10 - 54

CBS: Laura Duffy 2, Calla Miller 14, Tori Reynolds 5, Ally Holbert 10, Julie Hahn 16, Jordan Inverso 4, Katelyn Schneider 7.

N: Bryn Cotteta 13, Heather McHugh 10, Alissa O'Donnell 11, Devin Blake 3, Sophia Waters 6, Natasha Matthews 4, Raevon Mitchell 4, Brittney Rose 3.