Newtown High School’s boys’ basketball team led throughout a pair of games against South-West Conference foes, defeating host Masuk of Monroe 61-46 on January 15 and visiting New Fairfield 65-59 on January 20. It was a collective team effort that helped the Nighthawks improve to 6-5 overall and 3-2 in South-West Conference play.

Players have had to step up in the absence of Aidan Walker and Fletcher Snayd for the past handful of games due to illness.

“I think the kids have really bought into what we’re doing at both ends of the floor,” Coach Matt Murphy said. “Once we’re at 100% I think we can be very dangerous.”

The plan was to mix and match players to utilize depth, but James Glynn, in particular, has taken advantage of extra playing time as the lead point guard. Luke Stewart has also made significant contributions doing the little things that help add up to success on the court, Murphy said.

Against New Fairfield, the Nighthawks held a 16-10 lead after one quarter of play, and the Rebels hung close behind 3-point shooting — hitting ten shots from behind the arc — and it was a relatively close contest almost the entire way. Newtown seized its biggest lead, at ten points, late in the fourth. Newtown knocked down eight 3-pointers of its own.

Murphy liked how the Hawks made the Rebels earn their points down the stretch and did enough to fend off the visitors.

This game initially appeared headed completely Newtown’s way. Teddy Moxham’s follow-up basket and foul shot extended the lead to 19-10 early in the second. The Rebels got to within 20-15 with a 3-pointer that started an exchange of 3s, with Stewart’s long-range basket from the left elbow making it 23-15 Hawks at the mid point of the stanza. Stewart’s 3-point play the old fashioned way, scoring a basket and adding a foul shot, made it 26-18. The Rebels halved the lead before Glynn capped the first-half scoring with a 3-ball from the left corner. It was 29-22 Hawks at the break.

The Rebels pulled to within two early in the second half. Glynn’s right-corner 3 made it a five-point game. The Rebels were within three points when the Hawks went on a 9-3 run to go ahead 41-32. Moxham had a key block, Glynn hit another 3-pointer and scored a fast-break hoop, and Spencer Maddox scored off glass down low. The Rebels and Hawks again traded 3s, with a pair of New Fairfield baskets from downtown sandwiching a Marcus Gerace 3-pointer. The Rebels got to within five at 48-43 heading to the fourth.

New Fairfield cut the lead to three and had possession with a chance to tie, but was denied, and Glynn’s left-corner 3 gave the Hawks a little breathing room with 5:40 left. Newtown was solid from the free throw line down the stretch, hitting ten of 12 attempts in the fourth; Quinn Velez and Stewart both made a pair and Glynn hit six free throws in the final quarter, helping the Nighthawks pull in front 59-49 with just 1:30 left.

Glynn recorded 27 points, hitting five 3-pointers, and Stewart scored 18, including a pair of 3s. Maddox had six, Moxham five, Emmet Regan four, Gerace three, and Velez two to round out the scoring.

In the win over Masuk, Newtown led 19-7 after one quarter and never looked back. It was 31-20 at the half. Glynn and Stewart had 16 and 15; respectively. Moxham and Regan both scored nine; Gerace had seven; and Velez added five. Glynn made four of Newtown’s six 3-pointers.

“Solid team effort,” Murphy said. “Everyone contributed on both ends of the floor. I thought the energy was great.”

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