By Kim J. Harmon

A loss is a loss, but the Newtown Middle School girls’ basketball team can at least take solace in the fact that it’s 57-46 defeat at the hands of Jockey Hollow last week went a lot better than its first loss to Jockey Hollow earlier in the season.

In that first loss, the Lady Lions found themselves down 26-4 at the end of the first period. Last week, the Lady Lions were only down 11-10 at the end of the first period.

Yes – a much better effort.

The Lady Lions, in fact, had brief leads of 4-3 (following 2-of-2 shooting from the foul line by Morgan Knees) and 6-5 (following a baseline jumper by Jen Brill) in the first period but could not add to those leads in either case. Jockey Hollow even went up as much as 18-12 early in the second period, but the Lady Lions rallied back and – on a basket by Hannah Tenenbaum – tied the score at 20-20 with just a couple minutes left.

Stacy Broughton popped in a late basket off a great look by Katie Schmidt and the Lady Lions were down only two at the half.

And then they came out strong in the third.

Brill buried a long jumper to start the period and Katie Condon followed with a jumper of her own to put the Lady Lions on top, 26-24. It stayed nip and tuck for a while, with Knees (who missed the entire second period because of foul trouble) banking in a basket in the low post and Condon adding another on the fly to keep the Lady Lions on top, 30-28.

But Jockey Hollow slowly started taking control of the game. Despite baskets from Tenenbaum, Caitlin O’Handley and Knees, the visitors managed to slip out in front by seven, 43-36, by the close of the third period.

When Jockey Hollow dropped in a basket to start the fourth, the Lady Lions were in a nine-point hole, 45-36, but went off on a 7-0 run fueled by baskets from Bridie Rubino (a three-pointer), Schmidt and Colleen Murphy.

But the locals – down 45-43 – ran out of steam. Knees (eight points on the afternoon) fouled out with 4:30 left in the game and Jockey Hollow finishing things off with a 12-3 run (Condon scored all three points for the Lady Lions).

Condon scored 11 points to lead the locals, followed by Knees with eight. Tenenbaum tossed in six while Brill, O’Handley and Schmidt added four points apiece. Rubino, Murphy, Broughton and Joanna Barry all had baskets.