(Photo by Bill Allen/NJ SportAction) SENIOR LIVING: Princeton Day School senior girls’ basketball star Hannah Epstein races up the court in action earlier this season. Last Saturday, Epstein poured in 21 points as third-seeded PDS topped Number 6 Blair 52-39 in the opening round of the state prep A tournament. The Panthers, now 12-11, play at No. 2 Hun on February 13 in the Prep A semis.

Senior Star Epstein Saving Best for Last as PDS Girls’ Hoops Makes Prep A Semis

Bill Alden

Hannah Epstein had her game face on last Saturday as the Princeton Day School girls’ basketball team hosted Blair in the opening round of the Prep A tournament.

The PDS senior guard didn’t crack a smile as she raced all over the court, looking to help the Panthers advance to the Prep A semifinals for the first time in her stellar career with the program.

Epstein’s determined approach paid off as she scored a game-high 21 points to lead the PDS to a sweet 52-39 victory.

Afterward, Epstein couldn’t stop grinning as she basked in the glow of the triumph. “It’s so amazing,” said Epstein, reflecting on the win which improved PDS to 12-11 and earned the third-seeded Panthers a shot at No. 2 Hun in the Prep A semis on February 13.

“It’s my fourth year in the program, I’ve been on varsity since I was a freshman. This is huge for me. This group of girls is so special; it is a big step for us.”

The Panthers possess a commitment and depth this winter that they didn’t have in Epstein’s first three seasons.

“In past years, we didn’t have a group that wanted to work as hard as this,” asserted Epstein, who has been averaging 14 points a game this season.

“We also have more talent with a really good freshman class. We are working harder in practice. If you look at our stats, you usually see we have three people scoring in double figures. If you look at our assists, we have people with a lot of assists so we are really working the ball around together. We worked hard enough to deserve this.”

The team’s inside-outside combination of freshman star Tiffany Patterson and Epstein has played a big role in getting the Panthers to the Prep A semis.

“She’s such a power on the inside,” said Epstein of the 6’ 2 Patterson, who scored 13 points and had 19 rebounds and seven blocked shots in the win over Blair.

“I think she had 28 points the last time we played them. We knew that when she got the ball they would collapse on her so me or Raquel [Phillips] was going to get a shot.”

Epstein credits first-year PDS head coach Jessica Katz with helping PDS get a shot at the Prep A semis.

“She has a very positive outlook on things,” said Epstein. “She is really, really focused on the basics which I think has made a huge difference for us. We spend half of our practices doing lay-ups, foul shots, and passing. She came in and set the standard; we knew who was boss. But she also knows how to be our friend and have fun which makes for a really good balance.”

Epstein, a lacrosse star who plans to focus on that sport in college, came into the basketball season with low expectations.

“I got so into the lacrosse recruiting thing last summer that I kind of said basketball has never been strong here,” said Epstein, who is looking to play at Middlebury College or one of the other New England Division III programs.

“I really wanted to have fun this season, that was the biggest thing. I’ve had so much fun and we have been so successful that now I’m saying maybe I’ll try to walk on to basketball in college.”

PDS head coach Katz has had fun watching Patterson and Epstein mesh this season.

“Tiffany and Hannah are playing so well together,” said Katz. “They know when to find each other on the court; they understand what are good passes and what are bad passes.”

Katz understands that the graduation of Epstein is going to leave a void for the program.

“She’s been leading the team for four years,” said Katz. “Now it’s great that we have four other players on the floor who can play basketball with her. I don’t think about the fact that she is a senior, it makes me too upset.”

PDS needed Epstein’s senior leadership Saturday as it got off to a sloppy start, trailing 13-11 after the first quarter.

“I think we needed to calm down,” said Katz, whose team was tied at 22-22 with Blair at halftime before putting together a 15-6 third quarter to break open the contest.

“In the first quarter, we just missed so many layups. I think, with the exception of the first quarter, they played with pretty good composure. It was a great all-around team effort. Emily Waters came off the bench and played well with Marissa [Davilla] fouling out. Raquel played a great game.”

No matter what happens against Hun, PDS has made great progress in reversing fortune after going 6-15 last season.

“This is a big deal; we haven’t done this in a long time,” said Katz. “I think it shows the girls and everyone else that we can play basketball. The winning record is really exciting. They should be very proud; they have worked so hard for this.”

PDS is going to keep working as it looks forward to its clash with powerful Hun (16-6), which has advanced to the state Prep A finals three straight seasons.

“It’s definitely a challenge but we have shown we are up for challenges,” said Katz.

“We beat Blair twice now and we beat Lawrenceville. We’re ready to work. The beauty of a Hun game is that we have nothing to lose so we can just go out and go for it.”

Epstein, for her part, is going to go for it as she looks to extend her PDS basketball career.

“I know they are a great team; I’ve heard they are big,” said Epstein. “They are Hun; they are always good. I think we are going to go out and try to surprise them. Everyone is really excited for next week, we are going to play our hearts out.”

And you can bet nobody is going to show more heart for PDS than Epstein.

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