"I don't have much to complain about," said head coach Gregg Simon. "We played in a very, very tough league and every night you had to go out to war. It was a very difficult situation."

By KIM HARMON

Published: Feb 21, 2001 12:00 am

âI donât have much to complain about,â said head coach Gregg Simon. âWe played in a very, very tough league and every night you had to go out to war. It was a very difficult situation.â

By Kim J. Harmon

MONROE â When Bunnell and Newtown met the first time, just 25 days ago, it was the Lady Bulldogsâ brutal inside game which made all the difference.

So, last Saturday in the quarter-finals of the South-West Conference playoffs, the Nighthawks â with an effective 1-1-3 zone â simply took it away . . . only to see the Lady Bulldogs toe the three-point line and launch one bomb after another enroute to a 48-46 win over the defending SWC champions.

âThatâs the gamble we made,â explained head coach Gregg Simon. âWe played that 1-1-3 zone and it does a good job of taking away the post players. (So) they took what we gave them.â

Which was the outside shot.

And thusly the Lady Bulldogs dropped in six three-point baskets â two in the first period and four in the third period â to frustrate a very hard-working NewtownÂ High defense.

âThey made six threes,â said coach Simon, âbut I donât think thatâs what hurt us. I think what hurt us was our lack of consistent scoring.â

And a lack of a smooth start. The âHawks got off to another one of those slow starts which has plagued the team for the past few weeks and by the time the first period was over, the Lady Bulldogs were resting on an 11-6 lead.

But the âHawks did rally. Down 16-8 midway through the second period, the âHawks went on a 9-0 run with a pair of baskets by Amanda Marsilio, three foul shots by Lisa Masella, and a spot-up jumper by Lori Iwanicki to take a brief, 17-16 lead.

Bunnell took the lead back at the close of the half with a pair of free throws.

It remained close in the early stages of the third period, even after Bunnell knocked down its fourth trey of the game to take a 27-25 lead. At that point, Iwanicki hit a free throw to move the Nighthawks to within one and then gave her team the lead, 29-27, with a three-pointer from the top of the key that rattled around a little bit before dropping through.

The Lady Bulldogs tied the game, 29-29, but Morgan Haines scored on a drive in the lane (with an added foul shot) and her sister, Kelley, drained a three-pointer to put the âHawks ahead by six, 35-29.

Things cooled after that, however.

The cooling off period started when Bunnell knocked down its fifth trey of the evening and after Marsilio put back a shot to keep the âHawks ahead by five, 37-32, the Lady Bulldogs went on a 7-0 run to close out the period and take a 39-37 lead.

Bunnell scored the first five points of the fourth period to extend its lead to seven, 44-37, with just 3:33 left to play. To an unbiased eye, it looked as if it was all over.

But it wasnât.

The âHawks â aided by six consecutive missed free throws by Bunnell â made an almost unlikely rally and tied the score, 46-46, on an Iwanicki three-pointer with 44 seconds left.

âIâm proud of the girls,â said coach Simon. âThey never gave up and gave us the opportunity to win that game late. We were right there at the end.â

The end came on an inbounds play with 17 seconds left. The âHawks struggled on their first attempt to get the ball in near the basket and took a timeout to figure it out. The second attempt nearly worked, but the pass did not extend far enough out to the arc and Bunnell intercepted.

With 14.4 seconds left, the Lady Bulldogs were sent to the line and Cassy Bajda essentially won the game right there with a pair of free throws that put Bunnell ahead, 48-46.

Masella had one last shot at the basket, but had a bad angle to the basket and saw her shot roll right over the hoop. Ally Gellert grabbed the rebound, but the horn sounded before she could attempt a shot.

It was over.

âI donât think we played badly at all,â said coach Simon. âWe made some big plays, but we just didnât finish it off down the stretch. Still, it was a great game of basketball.â

The âHawks fell to 16-5 overall and even though that is another impressive record turned in by an impressive group of athletes, there is still undoubtedly a lingering disappointment over the failure to repeat as SWC champions â especially since the team is, theoretically, even more stacked than it was a year ago.

âI donât have much to complain about,â said coach Simon. âWe played in a very, very tough league and every night you had to go out to war. It was a very difficult situation.â

Iwanicki finished with 15 points to lead Newtown. Marsilio added 10 while Morgan Haines and Masella chipped in with seven apiece. Emily Thornbury of Bunnell led all scorers with 19 points and Abby Bajda added 13 more.

The âHawks should be looking at a pretty high seed in the upcoming CIAC Class LL state tournament and should, of course, host a first-round contest. Pairings will be released on the weekend, with first-round action beginning on Monday.

NOTE: Bunnell went on to defeat previously undefeated Lauralton Hall in the SWC semi-finals on Tuesday, 59-53, and will meet Masuk (winners over New Fairfield, 56-45) in the conference championship on Friday night.

BHSÂ Â Â 11Â Â Â Â Â 7Â Â Â 21Â Â Â Â 9 - 48

NHSÂ Â Â Â Â 6Â Â Â 11Â Â Â 20Â Â Â Â 9 - 46

BUNNELL (48) â Emily Thornbury 6 5-6 19, Cassy Bajda 0 4-4 4, Mercedez Walker 1 0-3 2, Nicole Yacobino 0 0-0 0, Amy Poniakowski 0 0-0 0, Abby Bajda 5 1-2 13, Karen Kramer 0 0-0 0, Jennifer Hovan 3 2-3 10. Totals: 15 12-23 48.

NEWTOWN (46) â Ally Gellert 2 0-4 4, Jessica Oswald 0 0-0 0, Morgan Haines 3 1-1 7, Lisa Masella 1 5-8 7, Lori Iwanicki 6 1-2 15, Amanda Marsilio 5 0-0 10, Jayme Beckham 0 0-0 0, Kelley Haines 1 0-0 3. Totals: 18 7-15 46.

Three-pointers â Iwanicki (N) 2, Thornbury (B) 2, A. Bajda (B) 2, Hovan (B) 2.

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My darling, You were the best GRANDmother a child could ask for. You created so many great memories & traditions that I have passed down to your Great grandchildren. You brought joy into every room you stepped into. Your laughter, singing, whistling and the signature Rockettes high kicks, is something I will always hold in my heart. There was something about walking into your home and being greeted by your beautiful face. *kiss on each check* followed by HELLOOOOOO Darling! The classical music playing softly in the background and your love and comfort made your home, a safe space. Somewhere, where love knew no boundaries. It was so much more than a home. I aim for the same in my home, and play the classic music 24/7, but it will never be the same. I pray I can be 1/4 of GRAND, you put in GRANDmother. You were so resilient. You found the positive in every situation. I look up to you so much. I remember begging Mom and Dad for years to change my name to “Carmen”. They didn’t officially change my name, but eventually started calling me “Carmenita” as I am a little you. THE HONOR. You were there for me, no matter the day or hour. You were always the one who would talk me through whatever hard situation I was going through. When my baby passed away, I refused to talk to anyone for 3 weeks. Except for you. You said to me “Better days are coming, babes. There’s always a rainbow after the storm”. Of course, you were right, because you are GRAND. I picture you in heaven dancing and laughing with him. Uncle Jay playing the money game with him. To know you are with your children again & with mine does bring me some joy. Twas the night before Christmas & New Year’s Eve, will never be the same. Another tradition you created. A memory that will last forever. Not just with me, but for generations to come. It may not be the same, but we won’t let it die. It will live on, in your name. To be your first GRANDchild was a blessing. I could write an entire book about you & all the amazing things about you. Even though we were robbed of time together & it makes me angry, I know I will see you again. This isn’t a goodbye, but a “see you later”. Just like we ended every phone call. Ciao, darling. I love you. MWAH MWAH! Love your GRANDchild, Kimberly aka Carmenita

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Unfortunately, I think this is likely to get worse, not better... Based on both public comments and private conversations, I’m increasingly concerned that our newly elected First Selectman intends not just to install these cameras, but to expand their use for full-blown enforcement and fines. Try getting a straight answer out of him about the long-term plan and you quickly realize how vague the responses become. Tyler is absolutely right to raise the privacy issue. These systems don’t just “catch speeders” — they quietly build a database of where we drive, when we drive, and who is in our vehicles. Once that infrastructure is in place, it becomes very easy to justify expanding its scope: more cameras, more locations, more uses, and eventually more automated enforcement. If Newtown is going down this road, residents deserve clear, written answers to some basic questions before anything is expanded: What limits will be placed on how and where cameras are used? Will footage and plate data be used only for speed enforcement, or for other investigations too? How long will data be stored, and who can access it? What safeguards will prevent vendors and individuals from abusing this information? Without firm, enforceable rules in place, “just a few cameras to slow traffic” can turn into something very different over time. I support safe roads — but not at the cost of unchecked surveillance and vague promises from our leaders. You try getting straight answers out of our First Selectman, myself and others have not been able to...

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I had to hold back a laugh at the idea that 7:30 pm is apparently such a late-night hardship that we’re already talking about moving meetings earlier. For a lot of residents, 7:30 is the earliest they can realistically get to Town Hall after work, family obligations, and the rest of real life. Shifting BOS meetings to 7:00 might make the calendar look tidier for those in the building, but it makes participation harder for the people who pay for the building. If the new First Selectman’s week is already booked solid and evening meetings feel like a strain, that’s not a reason to move the goalposts on public access—it's a reminder that the job is supposed to be demanding. Public service means accommodating the public, even when it’s inconvenient.

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Real people were just in a frightening car accident. To immediately frame their misfortune as rhetorical ammunition against new housing — affordable housing included — feels less like concern for “health and safety” and more like opportunistically using a scary moment to support a pre-existing position. If we’re going to debate this proposal, we should do it honestly: with data on traffic volume, accident history, engineering recommendations, and the town’s housing needs, not by seizing on a single crash as proof that 300 apartments are inherently unsafe. Newtown deserves a thoughtful, fact-based conversation about growth, safety, and affordability — one that doesn’t turn other people’s bad day into a political talking point.

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To add context that did not occur at the meeting would not be an accurate representation of the meeting and would, in fact, be editorializing to shape public opinion. The editorial staff here do not consider ourselves to be final arbiters of what the truth is (and if we did, it would make us partisan and biased), and we would need to provide a source for any dissenting information (sourcing all information in an article is literally Journalism 101). There were no such sources present at the meeting in question, and so it would not be appropriate to include such information in an article about the meeting. Dissenting voices appear in meeting stories when there were active participants with dissenting opinions, such as during public participation or the words of a council member who disagreed. It should be noted that the Interfaith Council, like many local boards and commissions, conduct meetings that are open to the public. This was not an article on the actions of the Greater Danbury Area Unites for Immigrants, or on immigrants, or on ICE's actions in the community, where including other voices or perspectives would be appropriate. We appreciate your opinion, but we stand by our meeting coverage and consider this discussion closed.

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"I don't have much to complain about," said head coach Gregg Simon. "We played in a very, very tough league and every night you had to go out to war. It was a very difficult situation."

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