Whether it was 3-point shooting, second-chance points following offensive rebounds, or points in transition, Newtown High School’s boys’ basketball team was clicking on all cylinders on the way to an 80-51 win over visiting Pomperaug of Southbury on January 12.

The Nighthawks, who have been without Aidan Walker and Fletcher Snayd due to illness, shook off a 63-54 loss at Joel Barlow of Redding on January 9 with a strong all-around effort.

“We didn’t play particularly well Friday night at Barlow. We challenged the kids to up the effort and intensity,” NHS Coach Matt Murphy said.

The Nighthawks certainly did just that, jumping out to a 23-13 lead after one quarter of play and 42-25 advantage at the half. It was 56-36 going to the fourth and the Nighthawks were in control from the opening tip.

“Our hope is that it’s contagious and continuous — and hopefully this is just the beginning,” said Murphy, whose team improved to 4-5 overall and 1-2 in South-West Conference play.

The Nighthawks had some pretty ball movement, one-touch passes, and made the extra pass for an open or in-close look time and time again.

“It’s fun to watch when the ball’s flying around,” said Murphy, adding that player movement was also key to setting up the offense.

Murphy said the team’s transition game allowed it to find open shots and the half-court game was also on, with players utilizing both the low post and high post.

Marcus Gerace hit five of Newtown’s ten 3-pointers and scored 17 points to lead the way. Teddy Moxham scored 15 points, Emmet Regan dropped in nine, Luke Stewart drained a pair of 3s and tallied 12, James Glynn hit a pair of 3-pointers and scored eight, and Quinn Velez also scored eight. Luke Libero (five points including a 3-pointer) and Cam Kullgren (two points) scored their first varsity points. Spencer Maddox and Joe Rossomondo added two points apiece. Freshman Sebastian Cebulski also got some playing time.

NHS won the second-chance points battle 24-7, finished with a 34-7 advantage in points off turnovers, and outrebounded the Panthers 43-18. Moxham led the way with 14 rebounds. Glynn and Gerace both had three steals, and Velez, Moxham, and Maddox each had three steals.

The Hawks started things with an 8-0 lead and Moxham answered Pomperaug’s first points with a 3-point play the old fashioned way, making a basket and foul shot. Moxham’s putback, Regan’s baseline drive, a Gerace takeaway which led to Stewart’s basket, a Stewart shot from behind the 3-point line, and a Glynn 3-pointer helped push the lead to 13 late in the first.

Stewart and Glynn hit back-to-back 3s early in the second. A Pomperaug 3-point play the old fashioned way, which cut the deficit to seven, was answered by Moxham with a 3-point play of his own; Moxham saved the ball on the baseline before converting, pushing the lead back to ten at 33-23 just past the mid point of the stanza. Gerace’s left-corner 3 ball pushed the lead back to 13. Gerace later hit another 3-pointer off a Maddox offensive board, and another left-corner 3 by Gerace capped the first-half barrage.

In the third, Velez battled for an offensive rebound and scored off a Moxham pass, making it 44-28. The Panthers were within 11 at 44-33 when the Hawks finished the quarter on a 12-3 run highlighted by Stewart’s baseline drive and another Gerace 3-pointer.

The Nighthawks continued to add to their lead in the fourth, scoring in a variety of ways. Moxham hit a mid-range jumper, Gerace scored a third-chance Nighthawk basket, Stewart made a nice pass to Regan for a hoop down low, and Moxham was set up by Stewart. Gerace found his sweet spot from the left corner for another 3, Stewart used a head fake on his way to a baseline drive and reverse layup, and Regan finished a quick passing sequence off Moxham’s nice assist.

Rossomondo scored off the glass, and Kullgren converted off a putback and followed his basket with a shot block on the defensive end, one of his two blocks. Libero added a 3-pointer and layup.

In the Barlow game, Glynn had 18 and Stewart 13 points to lead the offense. The game was even, 26-26 at the half, and the Nighthawks held a 44-43 edge going to the fourth but were outscored 20-10 in the final stanza. The Hawks, after Thursday's visit to Masuk of Monroe (a 61-46 victory), will return home to face New Fairfield Tuesday, January 20 at 7 pm.

Sports Editor Andy Hutchison can be reached at andyh@thebee.com.