By Andy Hutchison

The season is on the line for some high school basketball playoff hopeful teams that are scrambling to qualify for the postseason. The Newtown High School boys’ basketball team, meanwhile, has been solidified in the playoff picture for more than a month. When the single-elimination conference and state playoffs unfold in the coming weeks, however, the season will be on the line — potentially in more ways than one — for the Nighthawks.

Win-or-go-home-time as the playoffs are sometimes referred, often come down to performances at the foul line. Playoff games are frequently close contests that are won or lost by making or missing free throws.

“I think it definitely decides a game,” Newtown senior Greg Rodden said. “Hitting these in the end is what will win us games.”

The importance of making foul shots came to light in Newtown’s recent three-point loss to Brookfield.

“We missed six free throws in the last three minutes against Brookfield that would have won us the game,” Coach John Quinn said. “We can’t do that with the rest of the schedule we have in front of us.”

To maintain its place as one of the South-West Conference Tournament’s top seeds in the upcoming playoffs, the Hawks (13-2 heading into this week’s action) will have to shoot better against tough conference foes as the season winds down.

It’s no coincidence that the Hawks responded in their next game after that free throw nightmare against Brookfield. The Hawks made 28 of 36 foul shots, including some late ones to seal a 75-63 win over Weston last Friday night.

“That’s not bad at all — I’m very happy,” Quinn said.

The players work on free throws in every practice, but after the loss to Brookfield, a little more emphasis was put on foul shooting. Quinn challenged the players to focus more at the line by having them shoot and sink the free throw or miss and run.

“It’s a lot of pressure,” senior Kevin Troy said of the shooting/ running drill. “It helps us build our mental strength.”

“All these kids are good shooters with good technique. It’s all in their heads,” the coach said. “You’ve got to think the ball into the basket.”

“Coach tells us it’s mental; we’ve got to have a lot of confidence on the line,” senior Jason Smith added.

The Nighthawks had plenty of that in Friday’s win.

“Tonight we really showed we’re a good foul-shooting team,” Smith said.

Weston is one of the weaker teams in the league, but a foul shot is a foul shot and records are deceiving in the SWC, Quinn said.

“Records don’t mean anything in this conference,” Quinn said. “This time of year everybody is getting better.”

The Nighthawks hope to carry that foul-shooting success into the stretch run and into the playoffs, against those strong teams Quinn mentioned.

The Hawks played Stratford Tuesday night (see related story). They shot 8-of-10 from the line in that game, but lost and still have tough tests with a few more of the SWC’s best — Notre Dame-Fairfield, Kolbe Cathedral, and Bunnell.

Of course, the Hawks won’t lean their playoff run hopes on success at the foul line. There are so many other keys to their game. Most of the players are 6-feet or 6-1, but nobody stands taller than 6-2 senior PJ Cochrane, so the transition game is big for this squad.

“Quickness makes up for our lack of size,” Rodden said.

The Hawks are at their best when they tap that speed and aren’t easy to defend because of their threat to kick the ball out for a sharp-shooting three-point weapon. Against Weston, the Hawks used a full-court press to force several turnovers and set up some easy baskets or draw fouls. Kevin Troy sank a pair of three-pointers and had 27 points, and fellow senior Mike Maher drained three from behind the arc.

Foul shooting was crucial in keeping up with Weston early on. Newtown didn’t hit a field goal until there were less than three minutes remaining in the first quarter and went several minutes without a basket from the floor in the second quarter but piled up the points at the foul line. The Hawks managed 26 second-quarter points and finally pulled away by the midpoint of the third.