Newtown High School’s boys’ basketball team won its second game in a row and, in the process, got a little redemption — beating Kolbe Cathedral 77-55 in Bridgeport on January 7.

The Nighthawks had lost hold of a second-half lead in a 59-50 setback to Kolbe during the Hoops For Heroes Tournament in Newtown on December 30.

“We had ’em last game and we just let it go at the end,” Newtown’s Troy Frangione recalled.

When the teams got reacquainted a week later, Newtown made sure there would be no letting go of a second-half lead as the Hawks earned a convincing 22-point victory. This was the first game that counts in the South-West Conference standings.

“The kids were focused. The kids believed they could have beaten Kolbe during the tournament,” Newtown Coach Tim Tallcouch said. “Every single player that got on that floor contributed in some fashion.”

The usual contributors, Julian Dunn (16 points and nine rebounds) and Mike Davis (15 points and eight rebounds) came through yet again. Brian LeBlanc, with his team-leading 22 points, was the X factor, according to Tallcouch. LeBlanc drained six 3-pointers in the triumph. Fragione just missed a double-double in the assists and rebounds categories, logging nine of each. Jeremy Doski had 11 points and eight assists.

“The guys really felt great after that game,” Tallcoach said. “We’re feeling much more comfortable playing together as a team.”

Newtown improved to 2-4 after dropping four straight close contests then edging Trumbull 63-61 on January 4. The Hawks will look to keep things rolling when they play back-to-back home tilts — Abbott Tech and Brookfield visit for 7 pm tip-offs, January 10 and 14, respectively.