Hawks Continue To Win But Shoot For More Success

By Andy Hutchison

There certainly is something to be said for having a sparkling 13-3 record heading to the final four games of the regular season — especially when you consider the nature of two of those losses.

Newtown High School’s boys’ basketball team, following a 69-42 thumping of three-win Brookfield on Senior Night on February 12, is clearly among the best teams in the South-West Conference. Two of the Nighthawks’ setbacks were three- and one-point losses to two of the state’s best teams, Stratford and Kolbe Cathedral, respectively.

But as well as things are going, the Nighthawks are shooting to get better as the playoffs draw closer. Shooting is the operative word. Perhaps the Hawks’ only Achilles heel this year has been lack of consistency at the free throw line. A lackluster 4-for-12 performance at the line didn’t hurt the Hawks in the win over Brookfield, but a 15-for-37 showing from the line was the prime culprit in a heart-breaking, one-point loss to Kolbe last week.

The fact is, Newtown has a great record and two of those losses were nail-biters against two of the best teams around. The Nighthawks have been great at creating turnovers and are a threat to score down low and from the outside at any given time.

In the win over Brookfield, Dan Lynch led the way with 19 points, but contributions came from up and down the roster. Andy Lapple and Josh Engler each scored 9, George Zaruba had 8, Peter Manos 7, Casey Tenney 6, and Matt Datin and Josh Barrett had 4 apiece.

“We’re getting better every time we play which, as a coach, is everything you ask for,” Newtown Head Coach John Quinn said. “I’m pleased with everything except our free throw shooting.”

The Hawks would like to improve at the charity stripe and they work hard on this in practice. Quinn stops practices for sudden free throw-shooting drills and puts some pressure on the shooter by implementing rules such as the shot has to be made or the whole team runs sprints.

“They’re shooting under some form of distress and some form of fatigue which simulates a game situation,” the coach said.

Regardless of their results at the line, Newtown has proven to be a threat to win the South-West Conference title this year. Kolbe entered this week’s action with just one loss and Stratford remained undefeated. Both teams, year in and year out, are top picks to win the SWC, but Newtown has made a case that it belongs in the mix of prospective SWC champs.

“We know we’re as good as they are,” Quinn said. “We have as good a shot as anybody to win this.”

Newtown is, after all, one of only two teams to lose by single digits to dominant Stratford. The Hawks had a late lead in that game and believed they should have prevailed in the Kolbe contest too. The Nighthawks are hoping for a chance at redemption in the conference tourney, which gets underway on February 27.

Newtown’s game at Notre Dame-Fairfield was postponed by snow on Tuesday and was scheduled to be played on Wednesday (after The Bee sports section went to press). The Nighthawks will visit Oxford on Friday, February 20, and close out the regular campaign with two more road tilts — at Pomperaug on February 22 and at New Fairfield on February 24.