Nighthawk Boys Find Their Offensive Touch, Win Consecutive Games

By Andy Hutchison

Defense has been a strong suit for the new-look Nighthawks from the get-go this season. Now, the Newtown High School boys’ basketball team is clicking on offense too — and the Hawks carry a two-game winning streak into Friday’s home game with Pomperaug of Southbury (7 pm).

The Nighthawks upset visiting and 11-win Brookfield 66-50 at home on January 27, then knocked off host Oxford 75-67 on Tuesday night.

Newtown had pushed top opponents to the wire, only to lose nail-biters multiple times before. The Hawks battled still-unbeaten Immaculate of Danbury to the wire before falling, and nearly upset Notre Dame-Fairfield after hanging tough with always-strong Kolbe Cathedral of Bridgeport. Finally, Newtown turned an upset bid into a done deal — and did so convincingly by beating Brookfield by double digits.

“It was a huge win — the kids played great,” said Newtown Coach John Quinn. “We controlled it from start to finish.”

Sophomore Mike Davis, one of the new cogs in this revamped lineup from a team that graduated most of its experience a year ago, came through with a 16-point effort and his best game yet. “Mike is really coming on,” Quinn said. “I knew Mike would be a big player for us. He’s getting better every week.”

Connor Quinn dropped in 14 points, and Kyle Wilcox and Taylor Steimle both scored 13 to help a balanced attack.

“Our offense is kind of rounding into shape,” Coach Quinn said. “The fast-break is clicking a little bit more.”

Newtown has been playing well defensively throughout the campaign. The team held Brookfield, which has routinely scored 60-plus points on any given night, to one of its lowest-scoring performances. In doing so, the Hawks also happened to put together their highest-scoring game of the season.

Then, the Hawks outdid themselves on the offensive end, scoring a season-best 75 points at Oxford. Mike Daubert led the way with a 20-plus-point performance and Wilcox, for the second straight game, pulled down 15-plus rebounds, Coach Quinn said.

Don’t look now, but the once 3-9 Nighthawks have a winning streak going and an eye on a spot in the South-West Conference playoffs. Newtown, with those back-to-back wins, improved to 5-9 overall and 3-4 in SWC play. There’s more good news for the Hawks. Newtown is playing better than it was early on the in the season when the Hawks defeated Pomperaug in a December game not counted in the SWC standings. Friday’s rematch means a little more, and the Nighthawks have been improving game by game, their coach points out.

Although they are presently on the outside looking in, the team has already played its toughest (on paper) opponents, so the schedule — it appears — bodes well for a run at one of the last couple of SWC playoff spots.

“If things go according to form we will absolutely be in position to grab the eighth and possibly the seventh [seed],” Quinn said. “If we can run the table, or maybe get bumped once, we’ll be in the mix.”

If Newtown gets in, who knows what can happen; the team has proven it can play with the best of the conference on multiple occasions this winter.

Following the Pomperaug game, Newtown will visit New Fairfield on Tuesday, February 7.

The Hawks return home to face Joel Barlow of Redding on February 10, then play two straight road games — February 14 and 17 at New Milford and Weston — before capping off the regular campaign February 22 at home against Stratford. All games are at 7 pm.

The conference playoffs will begin February 25 with quarterfinal round action held at Masuk High in Monroe. Whether or not the Hawks get into the SWC bracket, they are at least on the right track to earn a berth in the state tournament, but with the way the team has been playing of late, coach Quinn and the Hawks can taste a piece of that SWC playoff scene.