Newtown High School’s boys’ basketball team was beaten 53-37 by visiting Masuk of Monroe, on January 4. The Nighthawks never led, but hung close throughout the first half before the Panthers seized control with a 9-0 run early in the third quarter.

Sam Duffy and Dillon Palumbo both had baskets to narrow three-point deficits to just one — 24-23 and 26-25 — before the Panthers finished the opening half with a 30-26 advantage. Nevin Zink’s jumper got the scoring started to begin the third quarter, trimming the deficit to two, but Newtown never got any closer. Masuk’s run staked the visitors to a 39-28 lead.

The Nighthawks were held to just 11 second-half points. Newtown’s leading scorer, Joe Duero, had all 12 of his points on four 3-pointers in the first two quarters of play.

Newtown didn’t get many second-chance scoring opportunities as the Masuk defense clamped down.

“Give ’em credit — they executed. The second half, they shut us down and didn’t allow us to do anything we wanted,” Newtown Coach Tim Tallcouch said of the Panthers.

Duffy finished with six points, Palumbo and Zink had five, Brian Montoya contributed with four, Nick Weiland and Mason Melillo each chipped in with two, and Tom Cotton added one.

Masuk got 13 points apiece from Joseph Capodagli and Cameron Kovachik as the Panthers improved to 3-2. The Nighthawks, coming off a win over Staples of Westport, fell to 1-4. Newtown will look to bounce back when Norwalk visits on Saturday, January 9, beginning at 2 pm.

“I expect a different team to show up,” Tallcoach said of his Nighthawks. “I think we’ll be ready.”